Lionel Messi offered captaincy at Olympics as Argentina qualify

The World Cup winners saw their Under-23s beat Brazil Under-23s 1-0 on Sunday night to progress to the Olympics this summer in France.

Current captain Thiago Almada, though, has said he would be willing to give up the armband if Messi would join up with the squad at the Paris Games.

The Atlanta United ace, who plays alongside the Inter Miami superstar in the MLS, is hoping that the 36-year-old could be talked into joining the squad.

He told Dsports: "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.

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"We have time to train and to continue to improve for the Olympic games.

"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."

Rules surrounding football teams at the Olympics state they must be 23 or under, though they are allowed a maximum of three players that are older.

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Argentina have not won gold at the Olympics since 2008 in Beijing, the last time Messi was part of the squad as he led a golden generation including Sergio Aguero, Angel di Maria and Juan Roman Riquelme.

While there is a chance Messi could commit to the squad, it would seem unlikely with the Copa America also going ahead this summer.

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The tournament is set to be held between June 20 and July 14 in the United States.

And the Olympics is scheduled for two weeks later while the MLS season is also going ahead concurrently, meaning the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner would have to miss action for Inter Miami.

Messi has already won the Olympics after leading them to gold in 2008 while he has also lifted the Copa America in 2021, which was postponed a year because of Covid.

A year after Argentina's success at the Copa America they won the World Cup with Messi once again the main man, scoring twice in an electric final against France, that was won on penalties.

For many, that ended the debate over who is the GOAT after completing a clean sweep of international trophies ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won a European Championship with Portugal but no World Cup.