Football: Five superstars who have won gold in the Olympics

The first round of men's football matches in Tokyo 2020 is already underway and is being held across six cities in Japan, with the final on August 7 at the International Stadium in Yokohama. 16 teams are participating in the competition with 22 players squad, a number that has been upgraded from the usual 18 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Though primarily an U23 competition, teams are allowed to name three overage players. However, Olympics remain a huge platform for some of the future superstars of football.

At Tokyo 2020, Brazil have started with a convincing 4-2 win over Germany, whereas hosts Japan have beaten South Africa 1-0 in their opener. But there has been a major upset with Australia beating South American powerhouse Argentina 2-0.

In this edition of the Olympics, a host of talent will be in action like Spain's Pedri, Marco Asensio, France's Eduardo Camavinga, and Brazilian superstar Dani Alves. Over the years, many such talents have made their presence in the Olympics and have gone on to win the gold medal like Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Neymar, and even Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.

Let us take a look at five of the most popular players who won the yellow metal in the Olympics.

Pep Guardiola

Under coach Vicente Miera Spain won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. They had a scintillating start to the tournament as they won all their group stage matches and it was none other than Pep Guardiola who opened the scoring in the tournament with a 10th-minute strike against Colombia. He went on to play a crucial role in midfield along with current Spanish coach Luis Enrique. The final was played at his familiar stomping ground of Camp Nou, Barcelona where they beat Poland 3-2, courtesy of a late winner from Kiko.

Samuel Eto'o

The prolific Cameroon striker who has played for a host of top European clubs won the Olympic gold in 2000. After a lacklustre tournament, the former FC Barcelona striker had saved his best for the finals. He scored the second equaliser just around the hour-mark to force the match into extra time. However, the two teams could not be separated after 120 minutes of football and the tie was decided with a penalty shootout. Eto'o took the second shot and converted it from 12 yards.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero

One of the greatest footballers in the history of football Lionel Messi won the Olympic gold in 2008, partnering with another Argentine legend in the forward line Sergio Aguero. The Barcelona talisman scored two goals and was named as the best player of the tournament by FIFA. Whereas, Aguero brought out his best against eternal rivals Brazil in the semifinal as he scored a brace to help Argentina win 3-0. In the finals, they beat Nigeria 1-0 at the National Stadium in Beijing.

Neymar

The Brazilian superstar was in sublime form in the 2016 edition of the Olympics which was held at his own backyard in Rio de Janeiro. He scored four goals in the tournament to guide the South American nation to its first Olympic gold in men's football. Neymar scored a brace against Honduras in the semi-finals and followed it by another goal in the final against Germany.