The stars already look at Tokyo 2020: Ramos, Neymar, Mbappé …

The wall of 23 years as the maximum age to participate in any of the football teams at the Tokyo Olympics has a crack: the possibility of including three players who were born before January 1, 1997 in the summoned group For that crack fit, among others, Neymar, Thomas Müller and Mohamed Salah. But the road has other obstacles for stars such as Argentina's Lautaro Martínez or Frenchman Kylian Mbappé. The two, with 22 and 21 years, respectively, can have a quota in their selections. However, the dates of the Olympic football tournament (July 2 to August 9) are very close to the Copa América (June 18 to July 7) and the Eurocup (June 12 to July 12), tournaments in those who also hope to participate. Clubs have the obligation, as a rule of FIFA, to allow their players to participate in both fair jousts, but not in the Olympics. Despite that, more than one star has its head on Tokyo. We review the situation of eleven of them.

Neymar (Brazil)

Neymar (Sao Paulo, 28 years old) has already won the Olympic gold with the Brazil national team in Rio 2016. However, the federation has initiated contacts to make the PSG star be the champion of the football team in the Tokyo tournament . The president of the institution, Rogerio Caboclo, has already spoken with Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of the Parisian team, to convince him to free Neymar for the Olympians. But the PSG faces several scenarios: that the Brazilian has expressed his desire to also play the Copa América, which would lead to greater wear; and that another of his referents, Kylian Mbappé, has shown his willingness to dispute the Olympics with France. The team's response is still pending.

Sergio Ramos (Spain)

At the end of 2019, the name of Sergio Ramos (Camas, 33 years old) began ringing to reinforce the Spanish Olympic team. In case the Real Madrid defender wants to travel to Tokyo, he will have the authorization already expressed by Zinedine Zidane. His obstacle, however, is the coach, Luis de la Fuente. Although the coach has said that he does not close the door to anyone, he is expected to opt for Fabián Ruiz and Dani Ceballos as two insurances, and that the third choose between Pablo Fornals, Mikel Merino or Marc Roca. Although Ramos is among the shortlisted and, for now, there is nothing defined.

Kylian Mbappé (France)

The case of Kylian Mbappé (Paris, 21 years old) is similar to that of his partner Neymar in the PSG. He wants to play the Olympics and the European Championship with France. If he did, he would not have rest during the summer and could return to the discipline of the Parisian club with fatigue or injury. The president of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët, has made clear his intention to summon Mbappé, backed by the player himself. Although the PSG is not obliged to yield to the striker for the Olympics, not allowing him to travel to Tokyo can subject the club to eventual discrediting throughout the country. The final position of the team is yet to be known.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Mohamed Salah (Gharbia, 27 years old) is the top reference in the selection of Egypt. Therefore, his name sounds to be the spearhead of the team that will play the Olympic Games. The Egyptian coach, Shawky Gharib, has praised Salah's game, but it has not been clear with his eventual participation in the Japanese fair. But besides being the idol of the Egyptians, Salah is also one of the key figures of Liverpool led by the German Jürgen Klopp. If the left-hander travels to Tokyo with the Olympic team, he would miss the preseason with the English team. Some British media predict an eventual confrontation between Liverpool and Egypt in case of reaching such a scenario. Salah's presence in Tokyo, however, remains unconfirmed.

Thomas Müller (Germany)

Bayern Munich striker Thomas Müller (Weilheim, 30) is one of the players whom Stefan Kuntz, coach of the German Olympic team, wants to take to Tokyo 2020. Vetoed by the coach of the absolute team, Joachim Löw, the Bavarian player sees in the Olympics the possibility of re-dressing the Germanic coat. The attacker himself, in an interview with the German portal Sport1, on January 13, said it would be “cool” to travel to Japan with the Kuntz team, who sees in Müller an experienced and veteran player.

Lautaro Martínez (Argentina)

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martínez (Bahía Blanca, 22 years old) is one of the players who, it is hoped, will travel to the Tokyo Olympics to reissue the gold that the Argentine national team already won at the 2008 Beijing and Athens 2004 Games The albiceleste team was crowned champion of the Colombian pre-Olympic tournament last February 9 without several of its great figures that, however, are expected to have a quota on the flight to Japan. Among them, apart from Martínez, are Ezequiel Palacios (from Bayer Leverkusen), Juan Foyth (Tottenham Hotspur) and Nico Domínguez (Bologna).

Vinicius, Rodrigo and Reinier (Brazil)

The search for the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Rogerio Caboclo, for the Tokyo Games is not limited to Neymar alone. His efforts are also advanced in the awnings of Real Madrid, where he plays a powerful trio that can provide the Brazilian Olympic team with special power in Japan: Vinicius (Rio de Janeiro, 19 years), Rodrygo (Sao Paulo, 19 years) and Reinier (Brasilia, 18 years old). The absence of the three can be a problem for Zinedine Zidane in Madrid, who will not be able to count on them at the beginning of the League if they go to the Olympics. In addition, they would also not have a summer vacation to prepare their participation in the Games.