The Olympic Games have a history of producing talented athletes and players and giving them a platform to showcase their talent. The Games have helped innumerable athletes to make a name for themselves. Some of them have performed well at the Games and then faltered, but the others have taken the Olympics as a stepping stone and gone on to achieve much better things in their sport.
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We look at the football players who first played at the Olympics for their national side and then became a regular for their nation, going on to achieve glory and making a career for themselves. The names of the following players are selected keeping in mind that they went on to make their senior national team debut after the Olympic Games, hence, making the Games their first major tournament:
#1 Neymar (Brazil)
The Barcelona man is the most notable name on the list. He is considered as one of the best of his generation and he’s still just 24 years old. There is no doubt as to what the Brazilian is capable of doing on his day. He had helped his boyhood club Santos and is now helping Barcelona in achieving glory.
It was in 2012 when Neymar represented Brazil at the London Olympics, when he was just 20 years old. He led them to the final of the tournament, Barcelona realised his potential and quickly sealed a deal to bring the man to Camp Nou after the conclusion of the Games.
Brazil had found their new star man who could take the country forward and lead them to success. The 24-year old has since played regularly for his national side.
#2 Xavi Hernandez (Spain)
The Barcelona legend came into the limelight when he featured for Spain in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The midfield magician had an outstanding tournament as the Spanish team won the silver medal in the Olympics when they were defeated by the Cameroon side in the gold medal match.
His club career with Barcelona was also on the rise as he was declared the 1999 La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year just before the commencement of the Olympic Games.
Being just 20 years old when playing in Sydney, the midfielder who now plays for Al Sadd in Qatar, made his first mark on the international circuit. He was then shifted to the senior national team in the same year.
Xavi managed to make 133 appearances for the Spanish national team in his career that spanned 14 years. He also scored 13 goals in those games, but his most crucial contribution to the team was how he controlled the play and made chances for his side.
#3 Oscar (Brazil)
The Chelsea man made his first mark on the international scene when he represented Brazil at the 2012 London Olympics. He was a key member of the Brazilian Under-23 team that made it to the podium as they won the silver medal.
Oscar controlled the game well along with Neymar, who was also in the side. It was Oscar’s performances at the Games in London that led to him being transferred to Chelsea the following month.
After performing well for Brazil at the Games, Oscar earned a senior team call-up later that year. It was due to both Oscar and Neymar’s form at the Games which saw them make the senior team.
It is also to be noted that all of Brazil’s goals had come through either Oscar or Neymar in the 2012 Olympic Games. They have since played many times for Brazil.
#4 Angel di Maria (Argentina)
When Di Maria was an Under-20 player, along with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi, he was picked for the Under-23 squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The former Real Madrid man went to China and played a vital role for his national side.
He scored the winner in two crucial games at the 2008 Olympics, scoring in the quarterfinals against Netherlands and then in the final against Nigeria. This meant that Argentina managed to win their second consecutive gold medal at the Olympic Games. It was the first major international tournament the Argentine was part of.
He went on to represent the Argentina national side later in September 2008.
#5 Carles Puyol (Spain)
Carles Puyol is the only player on this list who has retired from professional football. He is a Barcelona and Spain legend as he had an outstanding career with the Catalans. The 38-year old former central defender made a total of 100 appearances for the Spanish national team in his 13 years with the team.
The defender was always considered one of the best young talents in his country and hence was played at the Games when he was 23 years old. Starting his club career with the Barcelona C and B teams, the defender went on to establish himself in the Barcelona A team in the year 1999.
The following year he represented Spain at the Olympics and managed to win the silver medal for his country as Spain lost to Cameroon in the final. He then made his senior national team debut in November 2000 after showing giving impressive performances in the Games.
