Thought the summer of international football was over? Think again! Often overlooked and undervalued, the men's Olympic football tournament is coming your way, with the opening round of group games taking place on Wednesday 24 July, concluding with the Gold Medal match at Parc des Princes on 9 August. So, ahead of the competition, we've picked out five Premier League players, maximum one-per-competing-nation, to keep an eye out for.
Men's Olympic Football tournament draw
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
France | Argentina | Spain | Japan |
United States | Morocco | Uzbekistan | Paraguay |
Guinea | Iraq | Dominican Republic | Mali |
New Zealand | Ukraine | Egypt | Israel |
United States: Caleb Wiley
This, surprisingly, will be the United States men's first Olympic appearance since 2008, seeking to claim a medal in this competition for the first time in 120 years. Marko Mitrović's team features plenty of players familiar to MLS observers, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Benjamín Cremaschi and
Đorđe Mihailović to name just a few, but it's a player who will call France home next season we're going to highlight.
Just a few weeks ago, it was widely reported that Caleb Wiley will join Chelsea, leaving home-town club Atlanta United, for a fee of £8.5 million, set to spend the forthcoming campaign on loan at Strasbourg in Ligue 1, who are also owned by BlueCo.
Wiley, an attacking left-back, will be aiming to catch the eye at this competition, ahead of making France a more primary residence, while Chelsea supporters should also look out for goalkeeper Gaga Słonina, also on their books, a highly-rated 20 year old who was on loan at Eupen last season.
New Zealand: Alex Paulsen
Given how dominant they are in Oceania, New Zealand are Olympic regulars and they are set to feature at a fourth edition out of the last five. Darren Bazeley's team are hoping to replicate their run to the knockout stages achieved three summers ago, getting out of their group for the first time ever.
The OlyWhites will be underdogs in every game they play, so will need goalkeeper Alex Paulsen to be at his best. After impressing for Wellington Phoenix, he earned a move to Bournemouth earlier this summer for a fee reported to be £850,000, with this tournament a chance for him to impress future manager Andoni Iraola, or any clubs the Cherries may want to send him out on loan to.
Argentina: Julian Álvarez
In the last three years, Argentina's senior national team have won two Copa América titles, the Finalissima and the World Cup, beating Colombia 1-0 in the most-recent Copa Final just a matter of days ago.
Now, la Albiceleste are going in search of more silverware, having previously won Olympic silver in 1928 and 1996, as well as back-to-back golds in 2004 and 2008. Javier Mascherano was part of the squad that claimed gold in both Athens and Beijing and, excitingly, he's now the manager of this team, having worked his way up the national team youth ranks, with his side amongst the favourites to repeat this achievement.
Just three members of this squad were involved in this summer's Copa triumph: goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, captain Nicolás Otamendi and Julián Álvarez, who played a prominent role, featuring for 349 minutes, scoring against Canada in both the group phase and semi-finals.
Álvarez's importance at Manchester City has been limited, stuck in the shadow of Erling Braut Håland and others, but he will be the star of this team, hoping to fire his country to yet more glory.
Mali: Boubacar Traoré
This will be Mali's second Olympic appearance, dumped out by Italy in the quarter-finals two decades ago, so can the Eagles, who've never previously qualified for the World Cup, make a similarly deep run at this edition?
Alou Badra Diallo has plenty of exciting young talent in his squad, but we've chosen to highlight Boubacar Traoré of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 22 year old midfielder moved to the English Midlands two summers ago, making 38 appearances in Old Gold so far, scoring his, to date, only goal for the club against Leeds United in the EFL Cup.
Troaré's importance at Wolves has incrementally improved over time, and he's set to be a key figure for Gary O'Neil's side this season but, before then, will gain some invaluable experience in France.
Paraguay: Enso González
Paraguay have only ever previously featured at the Olympics twice, in '92 and 2004, but they were silver medalists two decades ago, beaten 1-0 by neighbours Argentina in the final in Athens. Having qualified for the 2030 World Cup as 'anniversary match co-hosts', la Albirroja are looking to the future, with another Wolverhampton Wanderers player their man to watch at this tournament.
Midfielder Enso González joined Wolves from Libertad for a reported €6 million last summer, belatedly making his senior debut during a one minute cameo against Crystal Palace in May. Given his lack of first-team opportunities in England, González will need to showcase his abilities at this tournament before a potential loan move away from Wolves later this summer.