Top 10 Players to Watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics
- Elise Ben Sekir is the youngest player at the 2024 Olympics.
- Julian Alvarez has become a full-fledged senior player for the team.
- Michael Olise has a chance to prove whether Bayern paid £50m for him was worth it.
10. Julio Enciso (Paraguay)
The 20-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion starlet who broke into the Premier League and impress in the 2022/23 season was unfortunately ruled out for most of the following season by a knee injury. However, Enciso returned in time
for the Copa América and was a key player for Paraguay, even though they failed to make it. Enciso’s personal stats are impressive, as he had 14 shots, created six and attempted 16 dribbles in just three group matches. In a
less intense competition like Olympique, Enciso, who has faced both Premier League and continental competition, should be able to shine, and he scored once against Israel in the group stage.
9. Thiago Almada (Argentina)
A star player in MLS, who has made 34 assists in three seasons with Atlanta United and has created an average of three chances per game, Almada is a real threat. His outstanding performances have prompted Brazilian champions
Botafogo to snap him up for a fee of £23.3 million next season, making him the highest-selling player in MLS. He is known for his
skill with the ball and his ability to set the ball off, and if he can perform well in the 2024 Olympics, he will certainly have a bright future in the Argentine first team.
8. Oscar Glukh (Israel)
Red Bull Salzburg are known for producing quality strikers in the football world, such as Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Karim Adeyemi, Noah Okafor, Benjamin Sesko and most recently Oscar Glukh. Who is still playing in the Austrian league. Although the star player is
only 20 years old, he has a lot of experience. He played in the UEFA Champions League last year against Benfica and Inter Milan, where he scored goals.
However, his strength is not in finishing, but playing as a number 10 to create chances for his teammates. He made 11 assists last season, the most in the Austrian league.
7. Samuel Omorodian (Spain)
Omorodien impressed on loan at Alaves last season, scoring nine goals and providing one assist, tempting Chelsea with a £27.4m bid for him, but Atletico Madrid rejected the offer, who deemed the 20-year-old worth more than that. Standing at 193cm, Omorodien
is a strong player who is good at handling aerial balls, so his strengths lie in pushing for space to score goals in the penalty area. If he can improve his sharpness, Omorodien could become a fearsome finisher.
6. Eldor Shomurodov (Uzbekistan)
Another giant striker to watch at the 2024 Olympics is Eldor Shomurodov, but this guy can be considered a senior team leader because Shomorudov is the all-time top scorer for the Uzbekistan national team. He has been playing for the senior team for almost 10 years and in the last 13 matches for Uzbekistan, they have only lost one game. Of course, the
highlight of this 29-year-old player is his height of 190 centimeters, which made him famous for his header goals when he played in the Russian Premier League. He is also skilled at turning his back to play for the goal, which helps him control the ball, especially in tournaments where they are at a disadvantage like this.
Shomorudov also has experience in the Serie A league with Roma and has had the opportunity to work with the great coach, Jose Mourinho.
5. Fermin Lopez (Spain)
The Barcelona star and one of the players of the Spanish national team that won Euro 2024, although he only played 28 minutes in the group stage, it is believed that in a secondary tournament like this, Firmin should have a chance to shine. Last season, the
21-year-old star was given the chance to play in the Barcelona first team and performed impressively by scoring 11 goals and providing 1 assist, which is not bad for a new player.
His strength is his flexibility in playing in many positions. Although he is more comfortable playing as a central midfielder, Firmin can play as a number 10 or a winger without any embarrassment. He is also able to play with both feet.
4. Elise Ben Sekir (Morocco)
The 19-year-old star from AS Monaco entered the competition, along with the title of the youngest player in the Olympic football tournament. The best thing is that Ben Sekir has been in the Monaco senior team since the age of 17, and has already made over 20 Ligue 1 appearances, as well as being in the Morocco senior national team. The highlight
of this youngster is that he can play in almost every offensive position, whether it be as a winger, an attacking midfielder, a center forward or a defensive midfielder. Ben Sekir can play all of them, relying on his ability to play between the defense lines and disrupt the opposing defense.
This youngster also caused trouble in the first match against the Argentina national team, where he scored two goals alone, leading Morocco to their first victory over the world champions.
3. Pau Cubarsi (Spain)
Pau Kubarsi is one of the most promising defenders of his generation. Having grown up in Barcelona’s La Masia academy, the 17-year-old has both technique and intelligence that are far beyond his years. Kubarsi has played
24 matches for Barcelona’s senior team, including experience in the UEFA Champions League. He was called up to the national team by Luis de la Fuente for 3 matches, but unfortunately, he did not make the squad for Euro 2024.
What makes Kubarsi stand out from other defenders in his age group is not his tall stature, as he is only 184 centimeters tall, but his ability to read the timing of the ball well, as well as his accurate long passes forward, which helps the team make their offensive game more dangerous.
2. Julian Alvarez (Argentina)
Back in 2022, Pep Guardiola was questioned by สมัคร ufabet the media about why he signed Julian Alvarez. When Manchester City already had a number of attacking talents. Today, those questions have been answered because Alvarez has led the Citizens to every trophy
and his performance in international football is no less. The 24-year-old has been involved in one World Cup and two Copa America titles for Argentina. While he has already scored 36 goals for Argentina. In the 2024 Olympics, Alvarez has joined the team as a senior player. It will interesting to see whether, with more experience than most players in this squad. Manchester City star can lead the Albiceleste Olympic gold medal like his senior, Messi, did.
1. Michael Olise (France)
Despite only 22 years old, Michael Olise has already shown how good he is, backed by the £50 million that Bayern Munich paid to bring him to their team. Last season, Olise played 19 matches for Crystal Palace, scoring 10 goals and providing 6 assists. Statistically, Olise only played
37% of the games due to injuries that kept plaguing him. However, for a player who has not played consistently, Olise still has very good performances. Just imagine how good this star player will be if he can completely overcome his injuries. The
highlight of this star player is his agility with the ball, making it very difficult to stop him when he has the ball. In addition, last season, Olise also shot more sharply. It will be interesting to see how far he can take the French youth team.