Football debuted at the 1900 Olympics and has been featured in virtually every edition of the Games since then, appearing only briefly in 1932 when it was hosted in Los Angeles.
For decades, the Olympics were only for amateur competitors and football was no exception. Great Britain was dominant in the early years, while Uruguay won back-to-back tournaments in the 1920s before the introduction of the world’s first World Cup ever in 1930.
But with domestic football becoming more professional in more and more countries, Eastern European countries soon came to dominate the medals. Players from the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations were often state-sponsored, so that they could maintain their amateur status, which made them eligible for the Olympics but still with the benefits of being a full-time player.
It was not until 1984 that professional football players were allowed to enter the Olympics for the first time, and even then an agreement with FIFA ensured that European or South American players could only be selected if they had not already played in a World Cup. .
In 1992, Olympic football began to take shape as what we would recognize today, when it was transformed into a tournament for 23 years and all other restrictions were removed. The age rule, which allows each country to select up to three players outside the age limit, was created in 1996.
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July 22, 2021
For decades, both in the amateur era and in the professional era, the men’s soccer tournament has seen some of the world’s best players compete.
Stretching back more than a century, here is a look at the best players who have won gold.
Vivian Woodward from Chelsea pic.twitter.com/WmOVTKmZ14
– The League Magazine (@Theleaguemag) August 12, 2014
Vivian Woodward, an architect in the trade, retained amateur status during the boom or professionalism of the early 20th century, despite playing for Tottenham and Chelsea and playing internationally for England.
This enabled him to take part in the 1908 and 1912 Olympics as Britain’s captain and win a gold medal on both occasions. His 29 goals for England were a national record until 1958 and he is still ten on the list of times.
Sweden’s Gunnar Nordahl became an AC Milan legend / Central Press / Getty Images
Before joining AC Milan and becoming one of Rossoneri’s greatest players of all time, the Swedish freight forwarder Gunnar Nordahl was the joint top scorer at the 1948 Olympics. He joined Milan just a few months later and became Serie A top scorer on five occasions, still a league record. .
Nils Liedholm was one of three Swedish stars who joined Milan in the late 1940s / STAFF / Getty Images
Nils Liedholm also switched from Swedish football to Milan in the wake of the 1948 Olympics and joined Nordahl and other international teammates Gunnar Gren. He stayed in Milan for 17 years as a player, assistant coach and eventually as a manager.
Ferenc Puskas helped make Hungary the best team in the world in the 1950s / STAFF / Getty Images
Hungary was the world’s best international team in the 1950s and their success started with victory at the 1952 Olympics. Ferenc Puskas was the leading star of the team and continued to become an international legend in the game in the following years.
Sandor Kocsis continued to excel at the 1954 World Cup / Keystone / Getty Images
Sandor Kocsis was the second great Hungarian forward from the 1950s, a teammate of Puskas at club and international level. Two years after the 1952 Olympic glory, he finished top scorer at the 1954 World Cup and was to end a famous career in Barcelona after fleeing his homeland.
Lev Yashin is revered as one of the very best great goalkeepers / Central Press / Getty Images
Lev Yashin is still remembered as one of the very best great goalkeepers and won an Olympic gold medal for the Soviet Union in 1956. Despite the quality of the Soviet team of that time, it was one of only two international awards he won along with the inaugural European Championships in 1960.
Luis Enrique was part of Spain’s young squad 1992 / VINCENT ALMAVY / Getty Images
As a 22-year-old, Luis Enrique had just finished his first season as a Real Madrid player when he helped Spain win an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Four years later, he completed a controversial transfer to Barca and became a legend of the club.
Pep Guardiola won the European Cup and Olympics the same year / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
During a magical summer in 1992, Pep Guardiola played a crucial role in helping Barcelona win the first European Cup ever and then Spain winning an Olympic gold medal for the first time. His experience was only enhanced by the fact that the games were hosted in his hometown.
Kanu played an important role when Nigeria shocked the world in 1996 / Ben Radford / Getty Images
Nigeria shocked the world in 1996 to turn the talented Brazilian and Argentine sides, both packed with future legends, into Olympic gold. Nwankwo Kanu, already a Champions League winner with Ajax, made a late equalizer in the semi-final against Brazil and then a golden goal extension.
Jay-Jay Okocha was an important part of Nigeria’s golden generation / Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Jay-Jay Okocha was probably the most popular member of Nigeria’s famous 1990s golden generation. He and a handful of Olympic champions in 1996 had already competed in the 1994 World Cup.
Samuel Eto’o was a superstar in the beginning when he won an Olympic gold medal in Sydney / PATRICK HERTZOG / Getty Images
Samuel Eto’o was just 19 years old and had recently left Real Madrid to start his club career at Real Mallorca when Cameroon won Olympic gold in 2000 and became the second consecutive African winner.
Carlos Tevez was the top scorer at the 2004 Olympics / JACQUES DEMARTHON / Getty Images
Carlos Tevez would not yet become a household name in Europe when he won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in 2004, but he was already a rising superstar in South America and scored eight goals in six matches in Athens.
Roberto Ayala was captain of Argentina as an age player in 2004 / Stu Forster / Getty Images
A 31-year-old Roberto Ayala was Argentine captain in 2004. He had previously played in a Champions League final for Valencia and was widely recognized as one of the best midfielders in Europe at the time.
Javier Mascherano won gold at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics / Stu Forster / Getty Images
Footballers rarely win more than one Olympic gold medal, but Javier Mascherano has two from the 2004 and 2008 tournaments. He had only recently turned 20 for the first time and was later a designated player over the age.
Argentine forward Lionel Messi kisses Olympic gold / JEWEL SAMAD / Getty Images
Barcelona did not want to release Lionel Messi for the 2008 Olympics because it meant that he missed the start of the club season 2008/09. They refused to give Argentina permission to call him until Pep Guardiola personally intervened to persuade the club to release him.
Angel Di Maria was a Benfica player in 2008 / Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Angel Di Maria scored the winning goal in the 2008 gold medal match between Argentina and Nigeria, after making an extra time winner in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands.
Sergio Aguero scored twice in the 2008 semifinals / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Sergio Aguero scored just two goals at the 2008 Olympics when Argentina retained their title, but they were absolutely decisive. He struck a chord in a 3-0 semifinal win against South American rivals Brazil.
Juan Roman Riquelme was Argentine captain 2008 / MARTIN BERNETTI / Getty Images
Juan Roman Riquelme was already 30 years old in 2008 but got his chance to go to the Olympics that summer as one of Argentina’s designated age players and lead the team to gold medal success.
Marquinhos made a penalty for the 2016 gold medal design / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Marquinhos has developed into one of the best midfielders in the world in recent years and has reached its peak. He was part of the Brazilian generation that finally delivered an Olympic gold medal in football after years of waiting.
Neymar was the star attraction in the football tournament 2016 / Jean Catuffe / Getty Images
Neymar was chosen as an age player in 2016 when Brazil aimed to win gold at home. Then with Barcelona, he did four times on his way to glory, including in the gold medal match against Germany, while it was he who later converted the decisive penalty in the shootout win.
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