The Olympic Games is one of the premier competitions of football to be played on the world stage. The rule of having a limited number of players over the age of 23 has meant that the Olympics has become a platform for young players to showcase their talent in front of the world.
Several players - often from lesser followed leagues - have taken the opportunity of playing at the Olympics to earn them a chance to represent their country at the senior level and sign for the best clubs in the world. A few have gone on to become greats.
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Here, we take a look at five players whose careers kick-started at the Olympics
#5 Daniele De Rossi
A young Daniele De Rossi participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and won a Bronze medal for his team. Because of his performances in holding midfield for the Olympic team and Roma, De Rossi earned his first cap for the senior Italy team later that year, scoring in a 2-1 win against Norway.
De Rossi has often been described as a complete midfielder because of his vision, passing range, strength and goal-scoring ability. He was regarded as one of the best midfielders in his prime, possessing the immense stamina to run from one goal to the other, helping his team both in attack and defence. He was the youngest player in Italy’s World Cup triumph, at the age of 22, and scored Italy’s third penalty in final against France.
De Rossi has played for Roma since 2001, and through the years has become one of the most important players for the club. The process of him becoming one of the best has its inception in the 2004 Olympic Games, after which there was no looking back for the Italian.
#4 Jurgen Klinsmann
One of the premier strikers for Germany in the 1990s, Jurgen Klinsmann’s career kickstarted at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Playing for West Germany, Klinsmann guided his team to a Bronze medal scoring 4 goals in the process.
He signed for Inter Milan the very next season in 1989, and in spite of the defensive style of play adopted by the Nerazzurri, he scored 13 goals for them that season. He then went on to play for Monaco, Tottenham and Bayern Munich where he established his status as a prolific goalscorer.
For Germany, Klinsmann collected 108 caps in total, which made him the fourth-highest capped German of all time behind Lothar Matthaus, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. Klinsmann was also an integral element of the West Germany side which won the FIFA World Cup in 1990 and was a part of the World Cup All-Stars team that year.
#3 Xavi
It all started at the 2000 Sydney Olympics for young Xavi, who would go on to become one of the best midfielders of his generation. It was this tournament which served as a launchpad in the process of establishing himself as Barcelona’s principal playmaker for years to come.
Xavi scored in the final of the Sydney Games against Cameroon, however, his efforts were not enough to earn Spain a Gold medal and had to only settle for silver. However, the event showed the world a little glimpse of Xavi’s potential and propelled Barcelona to build the team around him.
Lauded throughout the world for his impeccable vision and ability to find and exploit space, Xavi is considered one of the best passers of the ball in modern football. His skill came to full expression during the Guardiola Era, where he linked magically with Sergio Busquets, Andreas Iniesta and Lionel Messi to perfect the tiki-taka style of play.
In the Barcelona shirt, Xavi has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League including two treble successes in 2009 and 2015. He was instrumental in Spain’s Euro and World Cup successes in 2008 and 2010 respectively and has featured in the FIFPro World XI six times in a row from 2008 to 2013.
#2 Neymar
Before signing for Barcelona in 2013, Neymar was already a superstar in Brazil. He terrorised defences with his skill and pace and scored goals for fun. He had already scored an impeccable 136 goals for his then club, Santos FC. He was destined to be one of the best, but the question was whether it would be in the streets of Brazil or to thw whole world.
It was the London Olympics in 2012 which established his reputation as one of the potential greats. At just 20, Neymar was already one of the best in the team. He helped the Selecao to reach the finals of the tournament, scoring three goals in the process. But a final defeat to Mexico meant that Brazil had to settle for silver.
The very next year, Barcelona signed this hot property for a massive fee of €86.2 million. Neymar, however, did not disappoint. In his second year at Camp Nou, the Brazilian scored 39 goals in all competitions and was voted third in the 2015 Ballon d’Or, just behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neymar will again be representing Brazil in the Rio Olympics this year and will hope that he can guide the Selecao to their first Olympic Gold in football.
#1 Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez came into limelight in 2004 with his outstanding performance at the Athens Olympics. He was the highest scorer of the tournament with 8 goals, three more than second-placed Paraguayan Jose Cardozo. He propelled the Argentina team, managed by Marcelo Bielsa, to the first ever Olympic Gold medal which was also the first gold for Argentina in any sports in the Olympics since 1952.
Europe knew little about the mercurial striker in the making then. Tevez plied his trade for Argentinian side Boca Juniors and was touted as the heir to Diego Maradona because of his similar stature, pace and an eye for goal.
He scored almost half of Argentina’s goals in the Athens Olympics when he was just 20, and two years later English side West Ham United came calling for the signature of the forward, which kickstarted his European odyssey.
After just one year with the Hammers, Tevez signed for Manchester United where he scored 34 goals in two seasons. The best of Tevez, however, was seen in his time at Manchester City, scoring 73 goals in four seasons at the club. He then had a successful couple of seasons at Juventus before returning to Boca Juniors where he now plays and where it all began.
