At the 2024 Paris Olympics, some of the biggest stars within the world's most popular sport joined their national teams in hopes of securing gold.
Many of soccer's most memorable moments have come on Olympic stages. Let's explore a selection of international soccer players through an Olympic lens.
Men's
Marcelo: Regarded as one of the greatest left-backs of all time, Marcelo has never scored a goal or won gold at the Olympics. The Rio de Janeiro native helped lead Brazil to bronze at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and silver at the 2012 London Olympics.
Javier Mascherano: An all-time great defensive midfielder, Mascherano made 147 career appearances for the Argentina national team before retiring in 2020. Mascherano won gold with Argentina at the 2004 Athens Olympics and at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. He is currently Argentina's under-23 coach.
Lionel Messi: Mascherano's longtime teammate with Barcelona and the Argentina national team, Messi is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time. Messi, the winner of eight Ballon d'Or awards, is Argentina's all-time leading scorer. He had two goals en route to leading Argentina to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Neymar: The prolific Brazilian has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs and is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Brazil national team. Neymar was team captain for Brazil during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics when the host club won its first Olympic gold medal. He scored Brazil's only goal in regulation and netted the decisive penalty in the final against Germany. Neymar also won silver with Brazil at the 2012 London Games.
Richarlison: Brazil won its second straight Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games (held in 2021) largely due to the efforts of Olympic newcomer Richarlison. The current Tottenham Hotspur forward scored a hat trick in his Olympic debut against Germany in the group stage. Richarlison led all scorers at the Tokyo Olympics with five goals.
Women's
Formiga: The highly decorated Brazilian midfielder has played at every Olympics since women's soccer made its debut at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Formiga became the first women's player to participate in seven Olympics when she suited up at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Formiga led Brazil to Olympic silver in 2004 and 2008. She retired from international competition in 2021.
Mia Hamm: A transcendent star, Hamm played forward for the United States from 1987 to 2004, scoring more international goals than any player, man or woman, during that span. She led Team USA to Olympic gold twice, once in 1996 and again in 2004. Hamm and the U.S. won silver at the 2000 Sydney Games after losing in overtime to Norway in the final. Hamm was chosen by her U.S. Olympic teammates to carry the American flag during the closing ceremony at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Marta: A six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta is the first soccer player, man or woman, to score at five straight Olympics. She accomplished the feat after netting two goals in Brazil's 5-0 rout of China at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Marta, along with Formiga, helped lead Brazil to Olympic silver in 2004 and 2008. The 38-year-old stated that she intends to retire from the national team following the Paris Olympics.
Christie Pearce: A former captain of the U.S. national team, Pearce led the American women to three straight Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008 and 2012). The standout defender played all 570 minutes of Team USA's six matches at the 2012 London Games. The U.S. went 6-0 at the London Olympics, including three wins via shutout. Pearce was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2021, during her first year of eligibility.
Christine Sinclair: The Canadian superstar led her nation to three Olympic medals in her career, including gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Sinclair scored 12 goals in four Olympic appearances, winning the Olympic Golden Boot in 2012 after scoring six times in London. Sinclair retired from international competition in 2023 as the greatest goal scorer in the history of international soccer. Sinclair's 190 career goals in international play are the most by any player regardless of gender.
Check out the ESPN Olympics hub page for the latest news, features, roster updates and more.