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Argentina star Lionel Messi ruled out participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The 36-year-old is set to take part in his country's defense of its Copa América title. With the Summer Games kicking off just weeks after that tournament ends, he said suiting up for both simply wasn't realistic.
Messi confirmed to ESPN he reached out to Javier Mascherano, Argentina's under-23 coach, to relay his decision.
"I talked to 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.