Messi won the eighth Ballon d’Or: Does Paris have one more challenge for him?

Argentina is one of the countries with the greatest historical link to Olympism. So much so that, although its stable presence in the games began after the First World War, it is one of the founding countries of the IOC

For different reasons, this relationship is not proportional to the historic Olympic results of sports in that country.

Not only is it a country that once had no podiums - Montreal 76 and Los Angeles 84 - but only two athletes won more than one gold medal. The polo player Juan Nelson, in 1924 and 1936, and the soccer player Javier Mascherano, in 2004 and 2008.

Javier, a historic figure of River Plate, mega-champion with Barcelona and world runner-up with Argentina in 2014, is the driver of the team that will play the Olympic qualification in Venezuela early next year.

To achieve the goal, he has already expressed his great dream: that Lionel Messi and Angel Di María join the squad with the hope that, having been champions in Beijing, they too, will score a second Olympic gold medal.

For the eighth time in almost two decades of his career, Lionel Messi is the best player in the world according to France Football magazine. His performance between August 1, 2022 and July 31, 2023, led him to extend an unprecedented feat and to receive the prize again in a city that once knew how hostile it was but that in a few months will reserve another major invitation for him: to be an Olympian again.

During the visit to the headquarters of the Argentine Olympic Committee last week, Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, paid special attention to this possibility, emphasizing his objective: that Messi be one of the three people over 23 years of age who will defend the Argentine National Team in the next Games. “It would be great if I could be in Paris 2024. The Games are an ambition of many soccer stars,” he began.

Then, he highlighted a statistic in order to energize the enthusiasm of the Argentine 10: “For Messi it would mean an opportunity to write history again, because he could be the only player with two Olympic gold medals and the World Cup. We’re going to cross our fingers,” he said.

With less than nine months to go before the launch of Paris 2024, there are two main obstacles that could prevent a new Olympic version of Messi. First of all, the proximity to the Copa América, a competition in which he will also pursue the two-time championship, places him before a choice: to play, or not, at 37 years old, two tournaments of undisputed prestige, perhaps, 10 days apart. In the most successful scenario, Messi would compete in the final of America on July 14 in the United States and on July 24 he could make his debut in a city in France.

The second complication will be imposed by the North American football calendar. Although the dates for the 2024 season have not yet been released, it seems likely that, as the Olympic ball rolls, the Leagues Cup will take place while the MLS rests. In such a case, Inter Miami would seek to retain its 10 to raise the trophy again and the organization of the Cup will redouble its efforts to once again brag about having the most attractive and profitable figure in football.

There is a third threat: Argentina is not yet qualified for Paris 2024. The U23 team led by Javier Mascherano will compete against the nine CONMEBOL rivals in the search for one of the two Olympic tickets at stake in the Olympic Qualifying Championship to be held in Venezuela between January 20 and February 11 next year.

Speaking of the current coach, Mascherano shared the coronation with Messi in Beijing 2008. On the possibility that his friend could participate in Paris, he was excited: “If he wants to play, he’s welcome, but first we have to qualify. He has the doors open to the National Team to do whatever he wants” and he said that if he qualifies, he will talk to him and to Di María. Messi did not make any statements in this regard, nor did he clarify whether he will continue to wear his country’s shirt after the Copa América.

The decision to remove the shield of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to put on for the last time that of the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA), 16 years later, is in the hands of the owner of eight golden balls. Bach wants it. Argentine football invites you. The flame of illusion is still alive.