After 24 enthralling matches and 65 goals, the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament group stage came to an end. FIFA looks at the players who impressed along the way.
Thiago Almada – Argentina
One of Argentina’s four FIFA World Cup™ winners in Paris, Almada has shown all of that pedigree in the opening three matches. The all-action midfielder opened the scoring in victories against Ukraine and Iraq with two spectacular strikes, while his on-the-ball swagger and ability to drag his side through has befitted the famous No10 shirt.
Loic Bade – France
Thierry Henry’s side enjoyed a perfect group stage, sealing three straight wins, and are one of two sides yet to be breached. Defender Bade has more than played his part at both ends. He planted a terrific header to seal victory over New Zealand on opening day, and has matched that impact with colossal displays in front of his own net as one of the host’s standout performers.
Mohamed Elneny – Egypt
“I think he’s one of the best central midfielders I’ve ever seen,” proclaimed Egypt boss Rogerio Micale about Elneny, following his side’s pool-clinching victory over Spain on Tuesday. The 32-year-old, who also starred when the Pharaohs reached the last eight at London 2012, has been exceptional in a sitting role in front of the Egypt backline, combining invaluable leadership skills with tough tackling and composure in possession.
Soufiane Rahimi – Morocco
With some bookmakers, you would have struggled to find Rahimi’s name among the favourites to top-score at the Games prior to the tournament. Now the Moroccan hot-shot leads the way outright with four goals from just three matches, opening his account with a match-winning brace against Argentina, before strikes against Ukraine and Iraq helped them win the group.
Rihito Yamamoto – Japan
The well-oiled Japan machine breezed into the knockout phase by, much like their hosts, winning every match without conceding. Central to that has been defensive midfielder Yamamoto, who fired in a terrific goal in the 5-0 rout of Paraguay, before a lung-busting run saw him slide home a late winner against Mali. Go Oiwa might have decided against picking any overage players in his squad, but his 22-year-old lynchpin has proved to be a natural-born leader.
