This summer's Olympics will not feature Lionel Messi, as coach Gerardo Martino will instead be using his star in the Copa America, aiming to end Argentina's trophy drought.
As Argentina attempts to win another gold medal, Messi will rest, Gerardo Martino revealed Monday, per Globo Esporte.
The Olympic soccer tournament begins on August 3, just weeks before the La Liga season for Barcelona. This all comes after Messi's expected participation in the Copa America, which begins on June 3 in the United States. It was always unlikely that Messi would play in both tournaments and the Copa America is, at this stage in his career, the more important event.
Many believe the only thing that is missing from Messi's all-around resume is to win a major trophy like the Copa America with the full Argentina national team. He led the team to the Copa America final in 2015 where it lost to Chile just a year after losing to Germany in the World Cup final.
Argentina hasn't won a major trophy since the 1993 Copa America, so his main focus this summer will be winning the crown stateside.
Messi won gold in 2008, so it isn't like he is missing out on anything new by not playing in the Olympics. The reason the Olympics are not held at the same level as the World Cup or Copa America is that it is a youth tournament for players 23 years of age or younger with three exceptions for players above that age.
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