Brazil’s favorite despite tough opposition – this is how men’s Olympic football is decided

The conditions

In the Olympic football for men, 16 teams will settle during this summer’s championship. The teams are divided into four groups with four teams each. Each country plays against the other countries once in the group stage.

Players over the age of 23 are not allowed in the men’s tournament – with three exceptions per country. The participating football countries may include three players who are over 23 years old – and also those who turned 24 this year – because the Olympics were actually to be held last year.

Football starts with Mexico-France at 10:00 (Swedish time) on July 22.

The law

Favorites

Brazil. The reigning champion team from 2016 is a clear favorite to take home the dent for the second time in a row. The football nation has won medals in six of the last ten Olympic tournaments since 1980. But has only one gold in the tournament. In the 2016 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil won against Germany in the final after a dramatic penalty shootout.

Brazil has 38-year-old veteran Dani Alves in the squad. He is one of the three senior players allowed in the squad. The others are Sevilla defender Diego Carlos and Athletico Paranaense goalkeeper Santos.

The challenger

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Spain. Behind Brazil, Spain is a strong challenger. Like the brass’ victory in 2016, Spain also won the Olympics at home (1992) and the Spaniards come to Japan with a strong team.

The squad includes three European Championship players in the offensive midfielders Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal, midfielder Eric Garcia, goalkeeper Unai Simon and inner midfielder Pedri. Real Madrid player Marco Asensio is also in the Olympics.

Blast warning

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Ivory Coast. In the Olympics, it will be a hard-working Ivorian team. With AC Milan’s Franck Kessie in the lead – spiced with Manchester United player Amad Diallo on the attack – Ivory Coast comes with a powerful squad.

Eric Bailly is another Manchester United player who will also play for Ivory Coast. He will be leading the way in the back line, which could bear fruit in the tournament.

The profiles

Dani Alves, Brazil.

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With his 118 international appearances for Brazil, Dani Alves comes with an enormous experience behind him. The 38-year-old Brazilian right-back has a solid club career behind him.

He has played for Sevilla, FC Barcelona, ​​Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, and now he is back in Brazil and playing in Sao Paulo. But it is also the first time Dani Alves plays the Olympics for his Brazil.

Dani Olmo, Spain.

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The Leipzig midfielder has taken a place in Spain’s starting eleven more frequently lately and so also in the European Championships. The 23-year-old acted as a spearhead in Spain’s 4-3-3 formation during the summer, and was one of the most influential for the national team during the championship.

Now he will lace up his shoes again for games in the Olympics.

Florian Thauvin, France.

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Thauvin has only played ten international matches for France, but the offensive midfielder is a well-known player in his home country. For several seasons he made a name for himself as an important cog for Marseille in the French top league Ligue 1.

Earlier this summer, the 28-year-old surprised most when he unexpectedly announced that he had signed for the Mexican club Tigres – despite several European big clubs being rumored to be interested in Thauvin.

In Mexico, Florian Thauvin is a teammate with another current Frenchman, namely André-Pierre Gignac.

pedri, Spain.

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The 18-year-old game distributor, everyday in Barcelona, ​​played for Spain in the European Championships earlier this summer.

Pedri has long been seen as a super talent in his home country and with his fine technology, the world definitely got his eyes open for this during the European Football Championship. In the Olympics, Pedri is one of the key players for his Spain.

Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain.

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The flexible Spanish midfielder from Eibar has made a name for himself in Spain, and is being chased by bigger clubs.

On a daily basis, the 24-year-old plays in Real Sociedad together with Swedish Alexander Isak, where he has made 202 matches and 54 goals. The Spaniard played in the European Championships this summer and will be a key player for Spain also in Tokyo.

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