Ranking the 5 greatest male footballers of all time who have won an Olympic gold medal
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.