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Football has been an integral part of every edition of the Summer Olympics, except for the inaugural Games in 1896, and in 1932 - the only year in which it was dropped. Hungary and Great Britain have been the most successful nations in Olympic football history thus far, with 3 gold medals each, followed by Argentina, the Soviet Union and Uruguay (2 each).
In order to avoid direct competition with the FIFA World Cup, football at the Olympics has almost always been restricted by various rules and regulations. Initially, only amateurs were allowed to represent their nations in compliance with the Olympic spirit. However, that changed in 1984, when professional footballers were allowed to participate. In 1992, an age limit was implemented, allowing only footballers under the age of 23 to compete. Since 1996, a maximum of three players older than the age of 23 have been allowed to be included in the Olympic football squads.
Despite the constantly evolving rules, several legendary players have graced the Games and have even tasted victory by winning the coveted gold medal for their respective nations. With the gold medal match of this year's football tournament at the Summer Olympics almost upon us, it seems like an appropriate time to roll back the years and revisit greatness.
Without further ado, here is a look at the
5 greatest footballers to have won an Olympic gold medal
#5 Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) - 2000
Not for nothing has Samuel Eto'o won the African Footballer of the Year award a record four times. Widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers in the world during his time, Eto'o made his first appearance for Cameroon in 1997, at an astonishingly young age of 15.
He was part of Cameroon's squad that went on to win the gold medal in the football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Australia. He also won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002 with Cameroon. Eto'o also happens to be the Africa Cup of Nations' all-time leading goal-scorer (18 goals).
#4 Neymar (Brazil) - 2016
The previous edition of the Summer Olympics was hosted by Brazil in 2016 and in their bid to win their first Olympic gold in men's football on home soil, Neymar - their crown jewel - was included in the squad as one of the three over-age players. Of course, it paid off exactly as desired as Brazil marched to victory, beating Germany in the gold medal match.
Neymar scored a total of four goals in the tournament, including two in the semi-final against Honduras and one in the final against Germany, which ended 1-1 after normal time. Neymar also scored the winning penalty in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, which Brazil won 5-4 to win their first ever Olympic gold medal in men's football.
#3 Lev Yashin (Soviet Union) - 1956
Widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in football history, Lev Yashin was called up to represent the Soviet national team in 1954. He tasted international glory for the first time just two years later when the Soviet Union won Olympic gold in Association football at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Lev Yashin was voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century because of his unparalleled exploits and remains the only keeper to have won the Ballon d'Or, which he won in 1963.
#2 Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) - 1952
Yet another absolute legend, Ferenc Puskas is also considered to be one of the best players to have ever played football. By far one of the most prolific strikers in the world, Puskas scored a jaw-dropping total of 84 goals in just 85 international matches for Hungary.
The football tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics heralded an era of Hungarian dominance in international football as the Golden Team came to the fore. Hungary beat every team they faced in the 1952 Games, including a 7-1 thrashing of Turkey in the quarterfinals and a 6-0 rampage against Sweden in the semifinals.
Hungary went on to win the gold medal rather comfortably by beating Yugoslavia 2-0 in the final. Puskas scored 4 goals in the tournament - two against Turkey, and one each against Sweden and Yugoslavia.
Recounting the 1952 Summer Olympics, Puskas famously said "It was during the Olympics that our football first started to flow with real power."
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 2008
Was there any doubt about Lionel Messi occupying the top spot on this list? The then 21-year-old helped Argentina win their second consecutive Olympic gold medal in men's football at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Argentina won all six of their matches, scoring 11 goals and conceding just 2.
Messi scored two of those goals and assisted three more, including the only goal in the final against Nigeria. Messi was subsequently named the best player of the tournament as Argentina set a record of 12 consecutive wins at the Summer Olympics, having won 6 matches in the 2004 edition and 6 more in the 2008 edition.
