Legendary footballers to have won a gold medal at different Olympic Games

Although it is not the biggest prize in football, an Olympic gold medal is an award every athlete wants on their CV, and some of the greatest footballers ever have won one. Here they are!

Footballing GOAT Lionel Messi has won everything in football, but people tend to forget he was part of the Argentinian team that won the 2008 Olympic gold in Beijing, playing with Sergio Agüero and Juan Roman Riquelme.

Messi, who was 21 at the time, trounced the competition and even set up the winning goal in the final to help Argentina win back-to-back gold medals. He played five games and scored two goals, according to Transfermarkt.

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Ferenc Puskas is one of the greatest strikers in footballing history. He's a Real Madrid and Hungary legend, scoring 710 goals in 719 competitive games, Planet Football reports.

Puskas played at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki for Hungary and helped them win a historic gold medal during Hungary's 'Golden Team' generation, scoring four goals, including the first in the final against Yugoslavia in which they won 2-0.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is known better for becoming the greatest manager in the world, but as a player, he was recognized as one of Spain's brightest midfield players and captained his Olympic team in 1992.

Guardiola and Spain won their home Olympics in 1992 after it took place in Barcelona. Spain's Kiko scored a late winner in front of 95,000 spectators to win the gold medal. The Man City manager has won that much, he probably hangs it on his Christmas tree.

Brazil went all out for gold at their home Games in 2016, with Neymar leading an unbelievable Brazil team with Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos. The Brazilian hero scored the quickest goal in Olympic football history, hitting the target after 14 seconds against Honduras.

According to the Olympic website, Neymar scored two freekicks, including one in the final against Germany. The final went to penalties, and Neymar became the Brazilian hero by scoring the winning penalty to give Brazil the gold.

No one fancied Samuel Eto'o and Cameroon at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, with powerhouses like Spain and Brazil expected to dominate the tournament. Despite that, the African nation shocked the world by winning the Olympic gold.

Eto'o and Cameroon stunned the world, beating Ronaldinho's Brazil and dispatching Nigeria and Chile, before beating Spain on penalties in the final after going 2-0 down. He made six appearances at the Games, scoring one goal, which brought them level against Spain.

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