Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has admitted he is disappointed to be left out of the Olympic Games squad.
The Barcelona forward will instead play in the Copa America Centenario, as coach Gerardo Martino decided not to feature him in both competitions.
But Messi says he would have loved to play at the Olympics in Brazil.
“I would have liked to go because it was a spectacular experience for me to play in the [2008] Olympics, just as it was for the [2005] Under-20 World Cup,” Messi told ESPN.
“Not just because we won, but for the experience I gained.
“It was a great experience to stay in the Olympic Village and meet other elite athletes from other sports and to be just another athlete among them.
“That was very spectacular even though we didn’t spend a lot of time in the village.
“The World Cup is great but the Olympics are something special.”
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