The 2024 Olympic football tournaments get started this week, providing fans with some international action after this summer’s Copa America and European Championship campaigns.
Some notable names will compete for medals in Paris and we’ve picked out five big names to watch at the 2024 Olympics.
Alexandre Lacazette (France)
France are the host nation for the tournament and aiming to win the gold medal for the second time. Les Bleus will start as one of the favourites with a strong squad under the management of Thierry Henry.
Another ex-Arsenal forward will captain the French, with Alexandre Lacazette selected as one of the overage players permitted. The 33-year-old has won 16 caps for France but has not been selected since 2017, though two excellent seasons since returning to Ligue 1 with Lyon have earned him a call up for the Olympics.
???????????? ???????????????????????????????? | Thierry Henry has chosen Alexandre Lacazette as his captain for Olympics football with France! ✨
“Thierry Henry offered me the role of captain, and I accepted with pleasure.”, Laca said today. ???? pic.twitter.com/WV8XPowi2Z
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 3, 2024
Lacazette has scored 53 goals in 74 appearances for Lyon across the last two seasons and has netted twice in three warm up games with the Olympic squad. He will form part of a more experienced frontline with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta also included.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Achraf Hakimi plays his club football in Paris and will now have the chance to compete for an Olympic medal in the city.
The Paris Saint-Germain full-back formed part of the Morocco team that became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022 and will hope to make more history with the Atlas Lions this summer.
Morocco will be bidding to become the third African nation to win Olympic gold, after back-to-back successes for Nigeria and Cameroon in 1996 and 2000.
Hakimi and company open up their campaign with a huge showdown against Argentina on Wednesday.
Julian Alvarez (Argentina)
Julian Alvarez’s marathon season will be extended into this summer’s Olympics. The forward made 54 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City last season before forming part of the Argentina team that won the Copa America this summer.
Alvarez will now aim to win two international titles with La Albiceleste in the same summer and complete the set with the national team, having lifted two Copa Americas, the World Cup and the Finalissima to date.
???????? Win the @FIFAWorldCup and then clinch men’s Olympic football gold? It’s never been done before.
???????? Gerónimo Rulli, Nicolás Otamendi, Thiago Almada and Julián Álvarez could change that at Paris 2024. #Paris2024 | @afaseleccionen pic.twitter.com/xySogGoZAp
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 4, 2024
Alvarez has scored nine goals for Argentina at senior level, including two at the 2024 Copa America. The 24-year-old is one of the three overage players in the Argentine squad, alongside ex-Manchester City centre-back Nicolas Otamendi and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
The women’s competition at the Olympics is a full international tournament with no age restrictions for squad selection.
Spain’s success in recent competitions makes La Roja favourites in what will be their first entrance into the Olympics.
Aitana Bonmati is the star name in the Spanish side and arguably the finest talent in the women’s game right now. A proven performer on the biggest stages, the 26-year-old won the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2023 and claimed quadruple success at Barcelona in 2023-24.
Aitana Bonmatí is the first women’s player to win The Best, Ballon d’Or, UEFA Player of the Year and World Cup Golden Ball in the same year ???? pic.twitter.com/7hjKNSuG20
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 15, 2024
She will be aiming to add Olympic gold to the World Cup and UEFA Nations League titles already claimed with the national team.
Marta (Brazil)
Brazil will wave farewell to Marta after this summer’s tournament as the nation’s greatest goalscorer departs the international game.
The first-ever footballer to score at five editions of the Olympics at Tokyo 2020, the six-time FIFA World Player of the Year will be bidding to do so for a sixth time this summer.
At 38, the veteran is no longer the force of old but heads into this summer’s tournament with a record-breaking 118 goals for Brazil in 118 caps.
Marta announces she will retire from international football at the end of this year.
???? Brazil’s all-time top scorer (116)
???? World Cup all-time top scorer (17)
???? First player to score at 5 World Cups
???? First player to score at 5 straight Olympics
???? 2007 WWC Golden Ball and… pic.twitter.com/jvwD91ek6l— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 26, 2024
After being part of the silver medal teams at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, Marta will be hoping it is third time lucky as Brazil go for gold in Paris.
Read – Five Premier League players to watch at the 2024 Olympics
See more – Five young talents to watch at the 2024 Olympics
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