The French national team has already decided on the three veterans who will accompany the U-23 team at the Paris-2024 Olympic Games, which are scheduled to take place from June 26. According to Le Parisien, the three chosen by coach Thierry Henry are Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, three of Les Bleus’ world champions in 2018 in Russia.
It won’t be the first time that international stars have taken to the field for the competition as veterans; in the Brazilian national team, stars such as Neymar and Ronaldinho Gaúcho have already taken to the podium as team leaders. PLACAR has selected some of the main players who played in the Olympic Games over the age limit, check them out below:
Rivaldo (Atlanta-1996)
Three years before being considered the best player on the planet, in 1999, Rivaldo was the target of much criticism for his performance at the Atlanta Olympics in the United States. The Brazilian star, then 24, didn’t score once during the bronze medal campaign and even lost his starting place in the semi-final defeat to Nigeria.
Andrea Pirlo (Athens-2004)
The midfielder was called up to play as a “veteran” (he was 25) for Italy at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The Italian was responsible for distributing the passes in midfield for the Azzurri in their bronze medal campaign. Despite the medal, the four-time world champions’ campaign was rather questionable: they went through with 4 points in a group that included Paraguay, Ghana and Japan. The Europeans overcame Mali in the quarter-finals, but ended up being eliminated by Argentina, who went on to win the championship over the Paraguayans.
Riquelme (Beijing-2008)
At 30, Riquelme was another player who was called up as a veteran for the Olympics. In 2008, at the games in Beijing, China, the Argentinian played with the number 10 alongside the young Lionel Messi in the Hermanos’ second successive title. The midfielder scored just one goal, in the semi-final against Brazil.
Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Beijing-2008)
Called up by coach Dunga for the 2008 Olympics in China, Ronaldinho, then 32, had a lackluster performance in Brazil’s bronze medal campaign. As well as doing little in the semi-final against Argentina, he scored just two goals in the campaign, a penalty and a free-kick, both against New Zealand.
Thiago Silva (Beijing-2008 and London-2012)
The Brazilian is the only one on the list to have played in two Olympics as a veteran. Thiago Silva was called up by Dunga in 2008 and by Mano Menezes in 2012 for the Games in China and the United Kingdom, aged 24 and 28 respectively. In 2008, the defender played just two games, one of them in the first round of the tournament and the third-place play-off, when he came off the bench. Four years later, in England, Thiago Silva was an absolute starter in the Olympic runners-up team, with good performances.
Marcelo (London-2012)
Marcelo was another veteran called up by Mano Menezes for the London Olympics in 2012. The full-back, like Thiago Silva, was a starter in the Brazilian team and, with good performances, managed to reach the final of the competition, in which Brazil was defeated by Mexico in the final. He was 24 years old.
Ryan Giggs (London-2012)
The Welsh legend from Manchester United was called up to play for Great Britain (the island comprising England, Wales and Scotland) at the London Olympics in 2012. At 39, the midfielder played a part in the hosts’ campaign and even scored against the United Arab Emirates in the group stage. The team was eliminated by South Korea on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Luís Suárez (2012)
At the age of 25, the Uruguayan star was part of the team that was eliminated in the group stage of the 2012 Olympics in London. Suárez, the team’s starter and captain, didn’t score once and went home with a clean sheet. Uruguay were eliminated after a first phase of one win and two losses with only two goals scored.
Edinson Cavani (2012)
Like his compatriot Luis Suárez, Cavani was called up as a veteran for the London Olympics in 2012. At the age of 25, the striker also missed out on the games and, along with his partner, saw Uruguay eliminated in the group stage of the tournament.
Neymar (2016)
Neymar was, along with Renato Augusto and Weverton, one of the veterans called up by coach Rogério Micale for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 24-year-old striker was a key player in winning Brazil’s first Olympic gold in soccer, as well as being the team’s top scorer, Neymar scored a free-kick and converted the decisive penalty in the final against Germany.
Daniel Alves (2020/21)
The Brazilian full-back, then 38, was one of the veterans called up for the 2020/21 Tokyo Olympics, which had to be postponed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Daniel Alves was a starter and captain of the Brazilian national team in the two-time Olympic champion’s campaign. In the semi-final, which ended in a 0-0 draw against Mexico, he converted the first penalty and paved the way for Brazil’s qualification for the final.
