The men's soccer tournament at the Olympic Games gets underway on Wednesday in Japan and there are plenty of top young players on show until the gold medal match on Aug. 7.
Traditionally, the men's Olympic tournament only allows countries to use players under the age of 23, with the exception of three "overage" players. This year, squads have increased from 18 to 22 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the U23 rule remains and the majority of players must be born on or after Jan. 1, 1997 to qualify.
In the past, stars such as Argentina's Lionel Messi (2008), Mexico's Raul Jimenez (2012) and Brazil's Neymar (2016) have walked away with the gold medal, but the pandemic has limited the number of top players that clubs are willing to let go this summer.