Rio Olympics 2016: 5 footballers whose careers kickstarted at the Olympics
The Olympic Games is one of the premier competitions of football to be played on the world stage. The rule of having a limited number of players over the age of 23 has meant that the Olympics has become a platform for young players to showcase their talent in front of the world.
Several players - often from lesser followed leagues - have taken the opportunity of playing at the Olympics to earn them a chance to represent their country at the senior level and sign for the best clubs in the world. A few have gone on to become greats.
Here, we take a look at five players whose careers kick-started at the Olympics
#5 Daniele De Rossi
A young Daniele De Rossi participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and won a Bronze medal for his team. Because of his performances in holding midfield for the Olympic team and Roma, De Rossi earned his first cap for the senior Italy team later that year, scoring in a 2-1 win against Norway.
De Rossi has often been described as a complete midfielder because of his vision, passing range, strength and goal-scoring ability. He was regarded as one of the best midfielders in his prime, possessing the immense stamina to run from one goal to the other, helping his team both in attack and defence. He was the youngest player in Italy’s World Cup triumph, at the age of 22, and scored Italy’s third penalty in final against France.
De Rossi has played for Roma since 2001, and through the years has become one of the most important players for the club. The process of him becoming one of the best has its inception in the 2004 Olympic Games, after which there was no looking back for the Italian.