– Messi will captain Argentina at the Centennial Copa America and the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
– Argentina won Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games, failed to qualify for London 2012
– Messi helped Argentina win their second Olympic football title in Beijing in 2008 after defeating Nigeria in the final
Lionel Messi will not be selected as part of Argentina’s squad for the 2016 Rio Olympics, coach Gerardo Tata Martino said on Monday.
Martino said Messi will have a long season with Barcelona then captain Argentina at the Centennial Copa America in the United States in June.
Messi will also play in Argentina’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and playing in the Olympics in August could see the FIFA Ballon D’or winner suffer burnout.
The coach can take three over-aged players in his under-23 squad to the Rio Games but Messi will not be one of them.
“Messi won’t go to the Olympic Games because there is a lot of competition for the national team this year,” Martino said with World Cup qualifiers also in mind.
“We have the Copa America, the Olympic Games and after that four rounds of the qualifiers,” Martino told Radio La Red.
“The reality at Barcelona shows the season will be long. I want to win very much but not at any price, nor for throwing the players on to the pitch for them to die there.”
Messi led Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final in Rio where they lost 1-0 to Germany after extra time and the 2015 Copa America final where they also lost on penalties to Chile.
Argentina won Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games, failed to qualify for London 2012.
Messi helped Argentina win their second Olympics football title in Beijing in 2008 after defeating Nigeria in the final.
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