Brazil stormed to a second Olympic gold in football at Tokyo 2020, but it’s another South American nation that is expected to dominate at Paris 2024.
Argentina boasts a wealth of current, future and vastly experienced talent in their squad, which will be managed by their former international midfielder Javier Mascherano.
The Brazilians saw off Spain in the final last time around, with Mexico claiming bronze from the host nation, Japan.
This edition of the men’s football tournament begins on July 24, two days ahead of the official opening of the Olympic Games. Here are our top five players to watch:
Argentina – Julian Alvarez
The tournament’s star name is undoubtedly Manchester City forward Alvarez.
The 22-year-old was in prolific form last season for Pep Guardiola’s side, who he helped to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title.
That all came after the Cityzens lifted five trophies in 2023 – in Alvarez’s first season – by completing the treble of the league, FA Cup and Champions League before claiming the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Born in Calchin in Cordoba Province, Alvarez joined City in 2022 from River Plate, where his performances drew the attention of Europe’s elite but also the coach of Argentina’s 2020 Olympic team, who selected him for the Tokyo Games.
Alvarez has just flown into France for the Olympics after winning Argentina the Copa America title on July 14 – he would like nothing more than to add an Olympic gold medal to his long list of achievements.
France – Michael Olise
A big money move from Crystal Palace in the English Premier League to German giants Bayern Munich has put Olise’s name on the global stage.
The 22-year-old forward was born in London, England, where Arsenal first picked up his talents at the age of nine.
Olise then spent the following eight years in the youth ranks of the Gunners, Chelsea and Manchester City before Reading, then in English football’s second tier, offered him his first professional contract.
The failure of the big three to retain Olise became apparent with his 2021 move to Palace, where he became an immediate success and was even seen as the replacement for Wilfried Zaha, when the Ivory Coast international moved to Galatasaray in Turkey for the start of the 2023 season.
The confirmation of his rise to Zaha’s level came with July’s reported $65m move to Bayern.
Olise was born to a Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother, which is where his decision to represent France originates.
Argentina -Thiago Almada
The name that may usurp all others at the Olympics could be that of Thiago Almada.
Where expectation will sit upon the shoulders of fellow countryman and Premier League star Alvarez, Almada has a stock that is primed for takeoff.
The 23-year-old has returned to play his club football in the Brazilian top flight with Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas after a shock $21m move from US Major League Soccer (MLS) side Atlanta United. The deal could potentially reach up to $30m in additional payments.
It is widely expected that Almada will join French club Lyon, who have the same ownership as Botafogo, after he made no secret of his desire to switch the Americas for European football.
The attacking midfielder won the MLS Newcomer of the Year award in 2022 following his move from his native Argentina.
That same year, he became the first active MLS player to win the World Cup when Argentina beat France in the final in Qatar.
France – Jean-Philippe Mateta
France had hoped that their squad would be graced by the talismanic Antoine Griezmann to lead the line, but in Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, they have an able replacement.
With Olise already one of the headline names, the pair will share a link-up from their time together in the Premier League.
Mateta, who joined Palace in 2022 from French club Mainz, has represented France throughout the youth level but has yet to play for the senior side.
The 27-year-old, who also holds DR Congo citizenship, has scored an impressive 22 Premier League goals in 41 starts since his permanent move to Selhurst Park.
Morocco – Achraf Hakimi
One of the most surprising selections among the Olympic teams is World Cup semifinalist Achraf Hakimi.
The defender helped the Atlas Lions make it to the last four at Qatar World Cup 2022, making history as the first African nation to reach the semifinal of the global competition. Morocco’s run also marked the first time they had reached the quarterfinals.
At 25, Hakimi has already enjoyed an illustrious club career, having started in the city of his birth with Real Madrid.
Following two loan spells with Borussia Dortmund in Germany, the fullback moved to Inter Milan in Italy before a 2021 move to France with his current club, Paris Saint-Germain.
⚽ Keep up to date:
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Paris 2024 Olympics tournament page with all the news and features, as well as event build-up and live text commentary on selected football, basketball, tennis and boxing fixtures.
