Argentina last weekend qualified for the 2024 Olympics, with talk immediately shifting to whether Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi will take part in the games.
The 36-year-old attacker already has one Gold Medal in his historic trophy cabinet having featured for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, with Messi playing alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria.
Also amongst his teammates was one Javier Mascherano, who would go on to become one of FC Barcelona’s star defenders alongside Messi and is now the current Argentina manager for this year’s Olympics.
Yet whilst there are strong calls for Messi to travel to France for the competition, the decision could be a disastrous one for Inter Miami, and one that could bring about a premature end to the attacker’s MLS career.
Inter Miami must stop Lionel Messi from playing in this year’s Olympics
This summer promises to be one of the best for a soccer fan, with the Euros, Copa America and Olympics all taking part between June and early August.
And for Inter Miami supporters, there will be the added fun of the Herons in MLS action, with the division not pausing despite the Copa America taking place in the United States.
As a result, Inter Miami will be without Messi for some weeks, especially if Argentina go all the way and reclaim their title as the champions. of South America.
However, with the final penciled in for July 15th, there’s a real chance that Messi could miss as many as seven games for Inter Miami, which is why the Olympics would become such a problem for the Herons.
The soccer tournament in France kicks-off just nine days after the conclusion of the Copa America, giving Messi hardly any time to rest and recover having started for Argentina in essentially every game should they make it to the final.
With Mascherano’s side also heavy favorites for Olympic glory alongside hosts France, Messi could be playing nonstop international football from June 21st all the way through to August 9th, if Argentina reach both finals.
Constant travel and international matches could break Lionel Messi
Messi has shown already at Inter Miami that he is both arguably the best player on the planet when fully fit yet also at a stage in his career where he simply can’t play every game,
And for the Herons, they risk having a broken Messi if the forward travels to France for the Olympics, with Inter Miami now in a position where they have to do something to stop Argentina from calling up the forward.