Argentina's stalwart footballer Lionel Messi has made himself unavailable for the Paris Olympics in order to manage his workload.
The Inter Miami forward is currently gearing up for Argentina's Copa America title defence. The tournament will get underway on June 20 with a clash between the defending champions Argentina and Canada.
"I talked to Mascherano (Javier) and the truth is we both understood the situation," Messi told ESPN.
"It's hard (to think about the Olympics right now) because we're in Copa America. It would be two, three straight months of not being with the club, and more than anything I'm not at an age to be in everything.
"I have to choose carefully, and it would be too much to play two straight tournaments. I've been very lucky to play in the Olympics, of winning it together with (Mascherano).
"It was a wonderful experience on a football level. Olympics, U20, memories I'll never forget."
With the participating teams allowed to include three overage players in their squads, Messi could have been one of those players for Argentina in Paris. However, the veteran has made it clear that he has reached a stage in his career where he can't feature in every international tournament for Argentina.
Copa America 2024 Groups
| Group A |
Group B |
Group C |
Group D |
| Argentina |
Mexico |
USA |
Brazil |
| Peru |
Ecuador |
Uruguay |
Colombia |
| Chile |
Venezuela |
Panama |
Paraguay |
| Canada |
Jamaica |
Bolivia |
Costa Rica |
Argentina Copa America 2024: Full Squad
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Geronimo Rulli (Ajax), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Nottingham Forest), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Valentin Barco (Brighton)
Midfielders: Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Valentin Carboni (A.C. Monza), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
