Over the years, Ronaldo and Messi have been engaged in a fierce rivalry for titles at both club and national levels. Yet, when it comes to Olympic accomplishments, Messi has a notable advantage over Ronaldo. Both players have represented their countries at the Olympics, but their experiences are quite different.
Ronaldo competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics with the Portugal team. In their opening match, Portugal, led by CR7, faced a 2-4 defeat against Iraq. However, Ronaldo made an impact in the second match by scoring a goal that contributed to a 2-1 victory over Morocco.
In their final group game, Portugal was close to advancing as they led 2-1 against Costa Rica after an hour of play. Unfortunately, they were defeated 2-4, resulting in Portugal finishing last in their group. Ronaldo was reportedly seen crying after the game. This was Ronaldo’s only Olympic appearance.
That year, Argentina won the gold medal, but Messi was not part of the squad due to his youth.
Lionel Messi participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 21. The tournament saw the rise of Argentina’s golden generation, with Messi, Di Maria, Aguero, and captain Juan Riquelme leading the team. Argentina excelled throughout the tournament, winning all 6 matches and clinching the gold medal. Notably, Argentina defeated Ronaldinho’s Brazil 3-0 in the semifinals.
Messi, born in 1987, had an impressive tournament, scoring 2 goals and providing 3 assists. He scored against Ivory Coast in the group stage and against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
There were speculations this year that Messi might return to the Olympics with the Argentina team, but the 37-year-old star did not participate. Messi is currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the Copa America final last week.
The men’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympics will begin on July 24. At 8:00 PM, football powerhouses Argentina and Spain will start their campaigns. Argentina will face Morocco, while Spain will take on Uzbekistan.
At 10:00 PM, Guinea will play against New Zealand, and Egypt will compete against the Dominican Republic. The early hours of July 25 will see four more matches featuring teams like France, Japan, and the USA. The first round of matches will conclude with these final four games.
The men’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympics will include 16 teams, divided into 4 groups. The teams will compete in a round-robin format to determine the top two teams from each group that will advance to the quarterfinals. The tournament will run from July 24 to August 9. Brazil, the defending champions, will not be participating this year as they did not qualify.
