Argentina U23 Coach Mascherano Discusses Messi’s Potential Olympics Participation Amid Challenges.
Club teams are not obligated to release players to compete in the Olympics, which features U23 rosters with three overage players,
and Inter Miami star Messi is also expected to lead Argentina’s defence of their Copa América title earlier in the summer.
Mascherano said:
“I spoke with Leo and we agreed to keep talking.”
“He has just started the season with Inter Miami and we still have some time until the Olympic Games.
And we have to consider he also has the Copa América ahead this summer. It is not an easy situation.
“We have to see if he really has the energy to be there [in Paris]. It is not our intention to bother him or pressure him.
We made him an invitation in advance and we gave him all the facts he needs to think about it and to talk with his club.
It is not easy for him, either, to manage it with Inter Miami and the MLS and to be absent for a while. He will decide at the right time”
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The Olympics football tournament will take place between July 24 and Aug. 10, with the Copa América being played in the U.S. running from June 20 to July 10.
Miami will be competing in MLS and the Leagues Cup during those dates.
Speaking last month, Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino suggested the South American players on his team would have to choose only one tournament to participate in.
Using the example of Miami’s Paraguay midfielder Diego Gómez, Martino said:
“We know that we have to give him to the Copa, and not to the Games, we communicate; I have many friends there [in Paraguay’s FA] and I told them to choose only one.”
Responding to Martino, Mascherano said:
“Beyond the fact that he still has a superlative level, we have to understand that Leo’s age is a factor now. He clearly has to manage his efforts.”
Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi at Barcelona, they clinched numerous titles, including La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, leaving an indelible mark on the club’s history.
