The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are here, with the football tournament already underway. As per tradition, this event starts earlier than other sports, with the first games being staged on 24th July, or two days prior to the opening ceremony.
Football at the Olympics is not included in the FIFA calendar, meaning that clubs have the right to reject their players’ wish to join their national squads. Big names tipped to play at Paris 2024, such as World Cup heroes Kylian Mbappé and Emiliano Martinez, will thus not be playing in the competition.
With this precedent in place, only a few players from big clubs and top leagues have managed to win gold medals. Here are the notable players from the English Premier League to have accomplished the feat.
Daniel Amokachi (Everton, Atlanta 1996)
The former Nigerian international was playing for Everton when his country won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Amokachi, aged 23 at the time, was part of the Olympic squad after featuring in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where he bagged two goals in the tournament. Back on American soil for Atlanta 1996, he played in all six games and contributed one goal and one assist. Amokachi’s lone goal came in the final, a 3-2 defeat of Argentina.
The Nigerian’s spell at Everton was, in a word, average. In the 1995–96 campaign, the striker, who joined the Toffees in 1994, netted six times and made one assist in 25 Premier League games. This was actually better than his contribution in the previous season, when he only scored four times in the league.
His most memorable performance came in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham. Everton routed Spurs 4-1, and Amokachi scored a brace, but only made a cameo apperance in the final. The FA Cup was not his only silverware in England – he also helped Neville Southall and co. snatch the 1995 Charity Shield, before eventually leaving Goodison Park in 1996.
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool, Beijing 2008)
The current Argentina U23 manager was a Liverpool player when he won gold with Argentina at Beijing 2008. Mascherano featured in all six games. It was a second consecutive gold for the decorated Argentine, after a title run at Athens 2004. The former defensive midfielder signed for the Reds in 2007 and became a mainstay under Rafael Benítez. In the 2007–08 campaign, he made 41 appearances, scoring one goal and providing two assists in all competitions.
He stayed at Anfield until 2010, before switching sides to Barcelona, where he enjoyed trophy-laden years and played alongside Lionel Messi. The San Lorenzo native won five La Liga and two Champions League titles, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Overall, Mascherano earned 147 caps with the Argentina national team and bagged three goals in international fixtures, two of which were in the Copa América 2007. Unfortunately, he was part of the cursed Albiceleste squad that reached four finals in major competitions (three Copa Américas and one FIFA World Cup), only to lose in all of them. The former River Plate man had already retired when Messi and co. lifted the World Cup trophy in 2022.
Giovani Dos Santos (Tottenham, London 2012)
Once upon a time, this player was touted as Barcelona’s “next Ronaldinho.” However, Giovanni Dos Santos’ stint with the Catalan side was cut short since he was never the first choice, especially with Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, and Samuel Eto’o in the squad. He left the Blaugrana in 2008 to join Spurs.
Unfortunately, this seemed to be the wrong move for the Mexican international. Dos Santos, once again, became the second fiddle in North London. He was loaned out to Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, and Racing de Santander, before staying put at Tottenham in the 2011–12 season. However, things did not change, as he only played 13 games in all competitions, contributing two goals and three assists. That was his last season in England.
Despite his club struggles, Dos Santos was an integral part of the Mexico national team in major competitions, appearing at three consecutive FIFA World Cup, from 2010 to 2018. At the 2012 Olympics in London, he made the cut for the U23 squad and became the key man. The former versatile winger registered three goals and two assists but missed the final. Mexico would win gold despite Dos Santos’ absence, defeating Brazil 2-1 in the gold medal match.
Richarlison (Everton, Tokyo 2020)
Richarlison was one of the stars on the Brazil U23 team when they clinched their second gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games. He netted a whopping five times, including a hat trick in the opening match, when Brazil dismantled Germany 4-2. The Brazilian talisman also assisted once and was the tournament’s top scorer.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were held in summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the right time for the former Fluminense man to shine, as he had already earned caps with the Seleção senior team and won the 2019 Copa América.
Richarlison was still playing for Everton in the 2020/21 season. He contributed 13 goals and three assists in all competitions that year, which helped the Toffees finish 10th on the table under Carlo Ancelotti. The current Spurs striker arrived in England back in 2017 when he signed for Watford.
Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa, Tokyo 2020)
The recent Juventus signing was playing for Aston Villa when he represented Brazil in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Luiz was a key figure in the team that clinched Brazil’s second gold medal ever. He was named in the starting XI in five matches. The only fixture in which the midfielder was sidelined was the last game in the group stage against Saudi Arabia.
Starting in the 2019-20 season, Luiz was a mainstay in the Villains’ starting lineup. When he won the Olympic gold, he was coming off a season in which he made 33 appearances in the Premier League and helped his team to an 11th place finish. In his last season with Aston Villa, the Brazilian made 35 league appearances, netting nine goals and assisting a further five.
Main Image: “Olympics 217” by Adrian Brown via Flickr