Lionel Messi will not be part of Argentina's Olympic team when it begins in Paris later this month.
Coach Javier Mascherano included four World Cup winners in the squad he announced on Tuesday, including striker Julián Alvarez and defender Nicolas Otamendi.
The 37-year-old Messi, who has struggled with injuries this year, is currently playing in the Copa America, looking to defend the continental title they won in 2021, a victory that helped Argentina secure a place in the 2022 World Cup.
Messi won a gold medal in his only Olympic appearance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Olympic men's soccer tournament is played for under-23 teams, but each team can have three older players.
Mascherano, who won Olympic gold medals as a player in 2004 and 2008, is set to add goalkeepers Geronimo Rulli, Otamendi and Alvarez to his squad after the Copa America.
Midfielder Claudio Etxeberri, who recently moved to Manchester City from River Plate, will also be taking part.
Argentina will play two friendlies in France before facing Morocco in their opening Olympic football match on July 24. Argentina and Morocco are in Group B with Iraq and Ukraine.
3.6 Million Indians visited us in a single day and chose us as their platform for Indian general election results. Check out the latest updates here!
This article has been published from a news agency feed without any modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
