Messi vs Mbappé on the global stage again?
Mbappé and Messi were PSG teammates when they went to the World Cup in Qatar and starred in perhaps the greatest final of all that ended with the Argentina icon lifting the trophy.
France’s Kylian Mbappe
THE STARS are starting to align for another Lionel Messi versus Kylian Mbappé showdown on a global football stage to follow their epic World Cup final in 2022.
The men’s football tournament at the Paris Olympics starts July 24, and Argentina have now joined host France in the 16-nation line-up.
After Argentina earned their Olympic place late Sunday, beating two-time defending champions Brazil, talk turned towards luring Messi to compete for a second gold medal 16 years after his first.
“The door is open for a player like him to join us,” said Argentina coach Javier Mascherano, a close friend of Messi and title-winning teammate at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “Then it depends on him and his commitments.”
Mbappé has often said he wants to represent France at his hometown Olympics, where the men’s final on August 9 is at the Parc des Princes stadium of his club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Mbappé and Messi were PSG teammates when they went to the World Cup in Qatar and starred in perhaps the greatest final of all that ended with the Argentina icon lifting the trophy.
Messi scored twice, Mbappé got three in a sensational 3-3 draw as France rallied to first force extra time then a penalty shoot-out that Argentina won.
WANTS TO WRITE NAME IN HISTORY
Mbappé said in an interview last month that he wants to “write my name in the history of the French team as a player who mattered”.
“For every athlete, the Olympics hold a special place,” he told GQ magazine.
It is not so simple for a great player just to say he wants to play at an Olympics tournament played in late July and early-August.
FIFA-written tournament rules do allow for each Olympic squad to include three overage players in what is an Under-23 event for the men. There is no age restriction in the women’s event.
The complication is that each player’s club – Inter Miami for Messi, currently PSG for Mbappé though that could change – is not compelled by FIFA rules to let him go to the Olympics.
The Olympic tournament is not included on FIFA’s calendar of men’s international match dates which dictate when clubs must release players to their national teams.
Messi and Mbappé also have major tournament commitments ahead of the Olympics.
Argentina are the defending champion at the 16-nation Copa América hosted by the United States, and France is at the 24-nation European Championship in Germany. Both finals are on July 14 – just 10 days before Olympic men’s football starts, with France playing in Marseille that day.
Playing a continental championship and Olympics back-to-back is a severe physical commitment, especially for players with European clubs.