Rio 2016: 5 over-aged players to look out for

#2 Lars Bender, Germany

The Bayer Leverkusen captain will be a crucial player in Germany’s outing at Rio

Seoul 1988 was the last time when the German football team played at the Olympics as West Germany. Rio 2016 will be Germany’s first appearance at the Olympics in 28 years and their first as a unified nation. A lot of Germany’s hopes will be pinned on Bayern Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender who probably has the most amount of experience with the senior national team in this squad, having represented Germany 19 times, scoring 4 goals including a goal at UEFA Euro 2012.

The Bayer Leverkusen skipper did not have a very memorable domestic season as an ankle injury sidelined him for most of the season. However, Bender has recuperated from his injury and will be looking to lead Germany to a good showing at Rio Olympics.

Germany’s group is definitely not the easiest as it consists two medallists of the London Olympics in Mexico and South Korea who won gold and bronze respectively. Bender will be looking to use his experience to his and Germany’s advantage. Coach Horst Hrubesch will be heavily banking on Bender to create opportunities for his teammates and if Bender can be at his best then he might make Rio 2016 a memorable one for the Germany football team.