While some of the sport’s biggest stars may be absent from the Olympic men’s football tournament, several emerging talents have made their mark over the past two weeks.
AFP Sport highlights four key players to watch in Friday’s final between hosts France and Spain:
Jean-Philippe Mateta
The powerful 27-year-old Crystal Palace striker, who netted 16 goals in the Premier League last season—including 14 in his final 16 appearances—was not expected to make the full France squad for Euro 2024. However, coach Thierry Henry selected him to spearhead the attack at the Olympics, and Mateta has made a significant impact.
With four goals, Mateta is second only to Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi, who has six. All of Mateta’s goals have come in the last three matches: one in the 3-0 victory over New Zealand in the final group game, a decisive header in the quarter-final against Argentina, and a crucial brace in the semi-final against Egypt, which helped France secure a 3-1 win after extra time.
Fermin Lopez
In the past year, Barcelona attacking midfielder Lopez, 21, has experienced a remarkable rise. He established himself as a regular starter for his club, netting 11 goals in 42 appearances, including a goal in a Clasico against Real Madrid.
Lopez was subsequently selected for Spain’s Euro 2024 squad and made one appearance during their victorious campaign in Germany. He transitioned directly from there to the Olympics, starting every match for Spain except their final group game loss to Egypt, which was played after their qualification for the knockout stage was assured.
A native of Andalusia, Lopez has scored four goals on Spain’s path to the final, including a standout brace in the quarter-final against Japan and the equaliser in the semi-final against Morocco. He also provided the assist for Juanlu Sanchez’s winning goal in that match. France will need to find a way to contain him if they hope to secure gold on Friday.
Michael Olise
It’s only a matter of time before Didier Deschamps calls up Olise to the full French national squad. The 22-year-old has been a persistent threat on the right wing for France at the Olympics, scoring two goals, including the crucial third in the semi-final against Egypt. He also created the equaliser in that match with a dynamic run from deep.
Olise joined the Olympics after making a high-profile move from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich for a reported €60 million ($65.6 million). Last season, he scored 10 goals in 19 Premier League games.
A product of the Chelsea and Manchester City academies, Olise was born and raised in London to a Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother.
Pau Cubarsi
Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal dazzled at Euro 2024, even though he had just turned 17 shortly before Spain’s final victory over England. Centre-back Cubarsi, who celebrated his 17th birthday in January, is slightly older but remains the youngest player in Spain’s Olympic squad selected by coach Santi Denia.
A standout for Barcelona last season, Cubarsi narrowly missed out on a spot in Spain’s Euro squad but has become a fixture in the Olympic team’s central defense. He will be crucial in defending against France’s attacking trio of Mateta, Olise, and veteran captain Alexandre Lacazette.