Lionel Messi and Other Top Soccer Players Decide Against 2024 Summer Olympics

All right, folks, get ready, because the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are just around the corner! Ahead of the grand opening ceremony, several events have already started, including the soccer tournament.

The men's soccer competition kicked off on Wednesday, July 24, featuring a Group B match between Argentina and Morocco. If you caught the game, you might have asked yourself: Where's Lionel Messi?

Well, as it turns out, Lionel Messi isn't playing in the Olympics. Wondering why? Keep scrolling for everything we know so far.

In June 2024, the soccer icon told ESPN Argentina that participating in the Paris Olympics would simply overload his already jam-packed schedule.

"I talked to [Argentina U23 coach Javier] Mascherano and the truth is we both understood the situation," he said. "It's hard [to think about the Olympics right now] because we're in Copa América. It would be two, three straight months of not being with the club, and more than anything I'm not at an age to be in everything."

Messi continued, "I have to choose carefully, and it would be too much to play two straight tournaments. I've been very lucky to play in the Olympics ... It was a wonderful experience on a football level. Olympics, U20, memories I'll never forget.

"It's spectacular to be fortunate enough to go through all that. I hope that the guys who get to go enjoy it in the same way that I did because it's special," he added. "The Olympics are special, different from anything else."

Additionally, Olympic soccer has an age limit: Players must be under 23 years old, though teams can include up to three overage (players aged 23 or older) players. He would have been eligible, but he opted to skip this opportunity.

Despite his desire to represent his country at the 2024 Olympic Games, legendary soccer player Kylian Mbappé will not be participating as he prepares for his debut season with his new club, Real Madrid.

Ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament, Mbappé spoke with the media about the 2024 Paris Olympics, revealing, "For the Olympics, my club has a position which is very clear so that means I think I will not participate. That's how it is."

"I wish the best to the France team," Mbappé said in the press conference. "I will, of course, watch all their games as a spectator rather than an actor, and I hope they bring back the gold medal."

Plus, considering the extensive amount of soccer he has played in the past year and the proximity of the Olympics to the start of the 2024-25 season, it was always unlikely that Real Madrid would permit their new superstar to compete in the Olympics.

And just like Messi, Mbappé exceeds the Olympic soccer age cap — he could have been one of the three "overage" players on France's roster, but with his debut season at Real Madrid on the horizon, it's just too risky.

OK, we've talked a lot about this age limit in Olympic soccer, but here's the scoop on why it's a thing. Olympic soccer has this age limit to keep things distinct from the FIFA World Cup and to highlight the tournament as a stage for up-and-coming talent.

This age restriction encourages national teams to flaunt their young blood and give these budding players a shot at international glory. So, while the big guns rest up for the World Cup, the Olympics is where the next big stars get to shine.