Javier Mascherano invites Lionel Messi to join Argentina at 2024 Paris Olympics

If Lionel Messi wants an opportunity to end his illustrious career as a two-time Olympic gold-medalist with Argentina, he has an open invitation to join Albiceleste at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Argentina’s U-23 coach Javier Mascherano.

“Everyone already knows my relationship with Leo [Messi], the friendship I have,” Mascherano, Messi’s former teammate with Argentina and FC Barcelona, said [h/t ESPN].

“A player like him has the doors open to accompany us [at the Olympics], then it will obviously depend on him and his commitments.”

Argentina’s men’s national team qualified for the Summer Olympics on Sunday with a 1-0 win over archrivals Brazil at the Brígido Iriarte Stadium.

Argentina’s men’s team has participated in the last two Olympic Games, but it hasn’t medaled at the tournament since 2008, when a 21-year-old Messi led Argentina to the gold medal in Beijing. Mascherano was one of the three over-23 players on the squad.

Messi will technically be available to join Argentina at the Olympics since the 2024 Copa América will end on July 14, 10 days before the start of the men’s group stage at the Olympics, but given that he will already miss a portion of the MLS season on international duty, it’s unlikely that he’ll double up.

The 2024 Copa América will kickoff on June 20 and be broadcast on the FOX family of networks.