Olympics: Lionel Messi triumph over Nigeria in Beijing 2008 despite ignoring Barcelona

Lionel Messi wins Beijing Olympics:

Before winning the Copa America in 2021, Lionel Messi had only experienced international success in age grade tournaments: the 2005 Youth Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It is interesting that he had to pass through Nigeria to achieve both victories. however, this article focuses on the near miss that Messi experienced at the Olympics.

During the summer of 2008 the Argentine player was starting to establish himself as a significant member of the Barcelona team having scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists in the previous season.

Nevertheless, the Blaugrana struggled during this time and ended up in 3rd place in the 2007 to 2008 season. Barcelona with a new manager refused to allow Messi to participate in the Summer Olympics as they needed him to help qualify for the Champions League through the playoffs, a goal Messi was eager to achieve.

During a summer filled with daring choices Pep Guardiola made one more bold decision. He chose to offload two key players, Ronaldinho and Deco, from the team, and after seeing a frustrated Messi during training because the club was preventing him from pursuing his Olympic dreams, he allowed Messi to compete in the 2008 games.

During an interview with Juan Pablo Varsky, Messi described the event from his perspective.

“Nobody supported my decision to join the national team for the Olympics” Messi revealed to the journalist at Albiceleste Talk.

Upon Pep’s arrival, training had just begun and there was speculation regarding my participation in the Olympics or remaining. We needed to secure a spot in the Champions League no matter the circumstances. During the training session I appeared sad because I aspired to go to the Olympics and he perceived my feelings.

He’s extremely intelligent. He doesn’t miss a thing. He quickly became acquainted with me; I am easy to read. He reassured me saying “Don’t fret, we will make it to the Champions League.” Go participate in the Games, be victorious and return the upcoming year will be lengthy but we will savor every moment.”

Lionel Messi triumph over Nigeria — Getty images

Messi during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing:

The small magician had a great tournament, contributing goals in all five games played.

Following their dominant performance against Brazil, Argentina announced their upcoming final match against Nigeria, who had also defeated Belgium in the semi-finals.

Three years after leading Argentina to victory in the Youth Championship final against the Flying Eagles Messi found himself in another final against a Nigerian team.

The game held at the Beijing National Stadium, was closely fought and would have resulted in a tie if not for Angel Di Maria’s intervention just before the sixty minute mark. The winger became known for lifting the ball over the oncoming Dele Ajiboye after receiving a pass from Messi while advancing towards the goal.

Lionel Messi who has won the Ballon d’Or eight times and is considered by many to be the greatest football player of all time, won his Olympic gold medal in 2008 at the Beijing Games. Messi joined forces with players such as Juan Roman Riquelme to assist Argentina in securing the gold medal further enhancing his already impressive career.

Even though Argentina had achieved gold in 2004 it was not until 2008 that Messi had the opportunity to showcase his talent at the Olympics.

All information about the Argentine icon at your fingertips!

Lionel Messi is considered one of the most legendary figures in the history of football. Messi who was born in Argentina in 1987, started playing soccer at a young age and soon gained a reputation as an exceptional talent.

In 2000 at the age of 13 he became a member of FC Barcelona’s youth academy, and by the age of 16, he was already playing for the first team. In the subsequent years, Messi promptly proved himself to be among the top players of his era.

In 2021 he achieved his first significant global title by leading Argentina to victory in the Copa America. A year later he assisted his country in winning their third World Cup title in Qatar.

On the sidelines Messi is famous for his charitable actions. He founded the Leo Messi Foundation with the goal of enhancing the well-being of underprivileged children globally. He has participated in many charitable projects, such as one aimed at constructing a children’s hospital in Rosario, Argentina where he is from.