One of the sports that will kick off before the opening ceremony is soccer, with its activities starting tomorrow. The action will begin with a match between Argentina and Morocco.
While Javier Mascherano’s squad is considered one of the top contenders for the podium, the Albiceleste will be missing one of its most promising and emerging stars from recent years.
The player in question is Alejandro Garnacho, the Argentine forward who, due to a decision by his club Manchester United, wasn’t released for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It’s important to note that for the Olympics, clubs are not required to release players for their national teams, as it is not an official FIFA competition. As a result, Erik ten Hag and the Manchester United management have decided that Alejandro Garnacho will rejoin the team for preseason training once his vacation ends.
The Argentina national soccer team official debut
The Albiceleste will kick off their Paris 2024 Olympic campaign on July 28, 2024, facing off against Morocco in their opening match. A few days later, under the guidance of Mascherano, Argentina will take on Iraq, before wrapping up the group stage against Ukraine.
The selected overage players for this tournament
With Manchester United refusing to release Alejandro Garnacho for the Olympics, the three overage players selected for this competition are Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), and Geronimo Rulli (Ajax).
Golden medals for Argentina in soccer
The Argentina national soccer team has two previous gold medals in Olympic football, including back-to-back wins. Their first gold came at Athens 2004, where Carlos Tevez emerged as the star player, leading the team under Marcelo Bielsa to victory.
The most recent gold medal came at Beijing 2008, when Lionel Messi, Angel Di María, and Sergio Aguero led Argentina to a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the final, securing their second gold medal in Olympic football.