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Thiago Almada and Lionel Messi (Source: Twitter)
The Argentine legendary footballer, Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and boasts a remarkable career spanning over two decades. Messi's extraordinary talent was evident from a young age. With numerous individual awards and countless records to his name, including multiple Ballon d'Or titles, Messi's unparalleled skill and goal-scoring ability have cemented his status as a footballing legend. In addition, it is this skill that has helped him mark himself as one of the most decorated athletes in the sports industry.
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Citing this, the upcoming star footballer from Argentina, Thiago Almada has made a stunning request from the legendary footballer. The 22-year-old discussed the team's Olympic qualification and the potential presence of Lionel Messi in Paris with the squad. Almada, who captained the Argentina team during their 1-0 victory against Brazil, played a pivotal role in securing their spot in the Olympics.
“I am very happy for the group and the coaching staff, they deserve it. We showed that we were better throughout the tournament, always surpassing our opponent. We have time to train and to continue to improve for the Olympic games. Today, they only came at us twice, we played a great match. I hope Messi has the desire and can be at the Olympic games, it would be a dream. If Messi comes, I’ll give him the captain’s armband, obviously. Now they are the ones who have to decide if they come,” Almada said speaking to DSports.
A player like him has the doors open to accompany us: Javier Mascherano
The Argentina's captain, Lionel Messi took to Instagram to react to his under-23 side's qualification for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. La Albiceleste secured their spot by defeating Brazil 1-0 on Sunday (February 11), earning one of the two South American berths in the competition. With Brazil unable to defend their title after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Messi could potentially participate in the tournament as one of the three over-23 players permitted by regulations. When asked about the possibility of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's inclusion, Javier Mascherano, the team's coach, expressed that a player of Messi's caliber is welcome to join them.
“Everyone already knows my friendship with Leo (Messi), the friend that I have. A player like him has the doors open to accompany us, after that it depends on him and his commitments, obviously," Javier Mascherano said as per Sportskeeda.