Argentina XI that won the gold at Beijing Olympics: Where are Lionel Messi's teammates from 2008 now?
Fresh off decimating a 28-year-old trophy drought with the recent Copa America 2021 win, Argentina have sent a 22-man squad to Tokyo to try and replicate their historic 2008 Olympics campaign. Led by Juan Román Riquelme, the talented bunch of upcoming superstars, including Lionel Messi, romped to a first-place finish in 2008. Argentina recorded six straight wins, scoring 11 goals on their way.
Following that win, Argentina have fared quite poorly at the renowned tournament. With Messi aged 25 and at the peak of his powers by the time the London Olympics rolled around, he was no longer a viable option for the chosen squad. Without their talisman, Argentina failed to qualify for the coveted games in 2012 and could only manage a deplorable 11th place finish in the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Argentina's current roster for the 2021 Olympics
Nevertheless, the Albiceleste have a relatively potent squad at this year's Olympics, packing some of the best U-23 talents in world football. The most notable youngster representing Argentina in Tokyo is none other than Thiago Almada, the 20-year-old prodigy.
He is currently plying his trade for the Primera División outfit, Vélez Sarsfield. Almada is accompanied by Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and Atlanta United's star man Ezequiel Barco, among others. At 28 years of age, Jeremias Ledesma is the only over-age player drafted to compete in the competition.
Keeping that in mind, let's take a look at the talented bunch of 2008, who secured Argentina's 2nd ever gold in a football event at the Olympics by defeating Nigeria 1-0 in the final:
Goalkeeper: Sergio Romero (Without Club)
Starting in goal on that fortunate day, Sergio Romero shared his post between the sticks with Óscar Ustari, throughout the 2008 Olympics. However, the Racing Club graduate had a much superior impact, not conceding a single goal in his 315 minutes on the pitch.
Nevertheless, the 34-year-old shot-stopper's club career has seen a steep decline since his glorious stint with the national team. The first-choice goalkeeper at the 2014 World Cup for Argentina, Romero was recently released by Manchester United. He spent six seasons at Old Trafford, firmly stuck to the bench.
Romero has drawn the interest of a number of European clubs, including Everton and Celta Vigo. However, the former Argentina international remains unemployed at the time of writing.
Right-back: Pablo Zabaleta (Retired)
Pablo Zabaleta was one of the first signings made by Manchester City after the cash-laden takeover by the Abu Dhabi Group. Unsurprisingly, the Argentine was in high demand at the time of his transfer, having put in some impressive performances at the Beijing Olympics for Argentina.
The 58-capped Argentine proved to be a shrewd signing for the Cityzens, spending the next nine seasons at the Etihad as City's preferred right-back. In the latter stages of his career, Zabaleta was shipped off to West Ham United, where the reliable defender made the final appearances of his footballing days.
At the ripe old age of 35, he finally called it quits, retiring from the sport in 2020.
Center-back: Nicolás Pareja (Retired)
Somewhat of an unknown entity, Nicolás Pareja spent most of his professional career with the likes of Anderlecht and Spartak Moscow. His most notable spell in Europe came during a four-year stay with Sevilla, playing 121 games for the Spanish giants.
The former Argentina international was aged 23 when he received his first national call-up to defend his nation's colors at the Beijing Olympics. Pareja appeared in all but one game at the tournament, putting on a solid defensive display on his way to gold.
Pareja signed with Atlas in 2018 but was released just 11 months later, having only played four games for the Mexican outfit. The two-time Europa League winner announced his retirement, shortly after.