No Messi in Argentina’s Olympic soccer squad; Álvarez and Otamendi selected for Paris Games
Argentina's Lionel Messi looks on at the end of a Copa America Group A soccer match against Peru in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Rebecca Blackwell]
BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Lionel Messi won’t be in Argentina’s squad at the Olympics starting later this month in Paris. Coach Javier Mascherano included four World Cup winners in the squad he announced Tuesday, including striker Julián Álvarez and defender Nicolás Otamendi. The 37-year-old Messi has struggled with injuries this year and is now playing at the Copa America, aiming to defend the continental title he won in 2021. Messi won the gold medal with Argentina in 2008 at Beijing in his only Olympic campaign. The Olympic men’s soccer tournament is for under-23 teams, but three older players are allowed on each squad.
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