5 top-class football players for whom Olympics were their first major tournament

#4 Angel di Maria (Argentina)

Di Maria set up his place in the national side with great performances at Beijing 2008

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.