Aston Villa man has desires to join Messi and Di Maria in the summer in Argentina’s Olympic squad | OneFootball

Emiliano Martinez has suggested his desire to join Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria in Argentina’s Olympic squad, which is set to travel to Paris in the summer.

Javier Mascherano, coach of the Argentine under-23 national team, has extended an open invitation to Messi and Di Maria to participate in the Olympic Games. Recent updates suggest that the duo could be joined by the Aston Villa goalkeeper, who is eager to secure an Olympic gold medal—an accolade absent from his impressive collection with the national team, which already includes a World Cup and a Copa America title.

While Messi has not disclosed his decision yet, Di Maria has expressed his intention to retire from international football after the Copa America, which concludes earlier in the same summer. The South American tournament ends just 10 days before the Olympic competition begins in Paris, potentially presenting a challenge for the availability of Messi and other players.

Martinez’s eagerness to join Messi in the Olympic squad mirrors the shared ambition among Argentine players to excel at the highest level and achieve success on the international scene.

The Villa shot-stopper told DirecTV Sports: “If there’s something missing for me with the national team, it’s winning the Olympic Games.”

While there have been cases of players participating in consecutive tournaments, such as Barcelona’s Pedri, who took part in the Euros and Olympics in 2021, replicating such a feat might prove physically challenging for a 35-year-old Messi to emulate.