Highlights

  • Argentina won the Men's Football gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
  • Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Juan Roman Riquelme were among the stars who won the final against Nigeria.
  • Messi and Di Maria could feature for Argentina at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The last few years have been very kind to Argentina. In 2022, they finally won another World Cup trophy - the first of Lionel Messi's career and the nation's first in 36 years. Just a couple of years earlier, they also won the Copa America as La Albiceleste beat Brazil 1-0 in Rio de Janeiro's famous Maracana Stadium to win the tournament for the first time since 1993.

Before those successes, you'd have to go back to 2008 to take a look at the last time that Argentina won anything. That year, the South American nation won gold at the Olympic Games. While it's not a major international trophy, it's certainly something to be immensely proud of.

Argentina beat Ivory Coast, Australia and Serbia in the group stage, before achieving victories over Holland and a Brazil side led by Ronaldinho to qualify for the final. Nigeria were the last obstacle they had to overcome to secure gold in Beijing, which they did courtesy of a 1-0 win. So what happened to the XI that started the final? Well, with the 2024 Olympics on the horizon, and both Messi and Angel Di Maria interested in competing for their country again, we've decided to revisit the side that won gold in 2008 and see what happened to them all.

Argentina's gold medal-winning team against Nigeria in 2008

Player

Position

Club at the time

Sergio Romero

GK

AZ Alkmaar

Pablo Zabaleta

RB

Espanyol

Nicolas Pareja

CB

Anderlecht

Ezequiel Garay

CB

Real Madrid

Lucian Monzon

LB

Boca Juniors

Fernando Gago

CDM

Real Madrid

Javier Mascherano

CDM

Liverpool

Juan Roman Riquelme

CAM

Boca Juniors

Lionel Messi

RW

Barcelona

Sergio Aguero

ST

Atletico Madrid

Angel Di Maria

LW

Benfica

Jose Sosa

CM

Bayern Munich

Ever Banega

CM

Valencia

Ezequiel Lavezzi

LW

Napoli

Goalkeeper: Sergio Romero

Where he is now: Boca Juniors

Sergio Romero

One of the most underrated goalkeepers over the last 15 years or so, Romero was a key figure in the Argentine senior setup for many years, and he excelled during their run to the 2014 World Cup final.

After spending six years at Manchester United, serving as David de Gea's backup, Romero left Old Trafford in 2021, spending a year at Venezia in Italy, before returning to his homeland and joining Boca Juniors in 2022, where he remains to this day. He's still got it at 36 years old too, playing 49 times last season for Los Xeneizes in all competitions.

Right-back: Pablo Zabaleta

Where he is now: Retired - Albania assistant coach

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A Premier League legend. Pablo Zabaleta was a world-class defender in his heyday, helping Manchester City win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups. He also played 58 times for Argentina and was key in their Olympics success back in 2008. After a three-year spell at West Ham, Zabaleta retired from the sport in 2020.

These days he can be found working with the Albanian national team set-up, serving as an assistant coach to former City teammate and football icon, Sylvinho after he was hired in 2023. That is quite the star-studded pair. If he's even half as good a coach as he was a player, he'll be a huge asset to Albania going forward.

Centre-back: Nicolas Pareja

Where he is now: Retired

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Nicolas Pareja is a man whose career could have been so very different. He made five appearances for Argentina during the 2008 Olympics as they won the gold, but was actually only selected once for the country's senior team in the years following.

The centre-back was a man showing plenty of promise and his club career saw him play for the likes of Espanyol and Spartak Moscow before he joined Sevilla in 2014. He spent four years with the La Liga side, winning a couple of Europa League trophies for his troubles, but injuries severely hindered his progress and after an injury-ravaged season at Mexican club Atlas in 2019, he decided to hang his boots up for good.

Centre-back: Ezequiel Garay

Where he is now: Retired

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Another player who was forced to call time on his career due to injury was Ezequiel Garay. He represented Argentina 32 times and was part of the side that finished runners-up in the 2014 World Cup. He was also a pretty tidy player for Benfica, Zenit St Petersburg and Valencia.

He also spent several years with Real Madrid following Argentina's Olympic triumph. Garay decided to hang his boots up in 2020 when he was at Valencia, citing a long-term injury that he had been dealing with as being the main cause for the decision. Throughout his 16-year career, he got his hands on 12 trophies, so he certainly made the most of his time in the game.

Left-back: Luciano Monzon

Where he is now: Free agent

Fabian Luciano Monzon's career was only just getting started when he was selected for Argentina's Olympic squad. He broke through at Boca Juniors that very same year, so his inclusion was a surprise. He put any doubts to bed, though, when he started every single game for his country on their way to gold. Despite this, his career never really took off afterwards and he played just seven times for his country's senior team.

Throughout his career, Monzon turned out for the likes of Boca Juniors, Real Betis, Nice, Lyon and Catania. He last played in 2021 for Atletico Tucuman and has been without a club since. He technically hasn't officially retired yet, though.

Central midfield: Fernando Gago

Where he is now: Retired - Head coach of C.D. Guadalajara

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Despite a number of serious injuries, Fernando Gago still enjoyed a fairly successful career. He spent five years playing for Real Madrid, before moving on and enjoying spells at Valencia and Roma. The midfielder also played 61 times for his country and was among the team that finished runners-up in the 2014 World Cup.

The 35-year-old called time on his playing days back in 2020, and he's since moved into the managerial game, first coaching Argentine top-flight side Club Atletico Aldosiv, before moving on to Racing Club. These days, he's the head coach at C.D. Guadalajara, having been appointed in December 2023.

Central midfield: Javier Mascherano

Where he is now: Retired - Head coach of Argentina U20s

Javier Mascherano

What a footballer Javier Mascherano was in his prime. The no-nonsense midfielder played 147 games for his country and rarely turned in a sub-par performance. After introducing himself to Premier League fans following a move to West Ham United, he joined Liverpool and became a global star. He then spent time at Barcelona helping forge one of the most impressive sides in the world.

The terrier-like superstar retired in 2020 after a brief spell at Estudiantes and since 2021, he's been in charge of his country's under-20 team. The experience and guidance he'll be providing the young stars of Argentina will be priceless.

Attacking midfield: Juan Roman Riquelme

Where he is now: Retired

Juan Roman Riquelme

Remember him? Juan Riquelme was one of Argentina's three overage players at the 2008 Olympics and, unsurprisingly, he was absolute magic throughout the tournament. The supremely gifted playmaker spent five years in Europe with Barcelona and Villarreal, before returning to Boca Juniors in 2007 - where he's heralded as a footballing God.

In terms of Argentina icons, there aren't many bigger than Riquelme, who played 51 times in total for his country. The attacking midfielder decided to retire back in 2014 following a short stint at Argentinos Juniors and not much is known about what he's been up to in the years since.

Right-wing: Lionel Messi

Where he is now: Inter Miami

Lionel Messi

Whatever happened to that guy, eh? Lionel Messi was electric in Beijing and has since gone on to cement his place among the greatest footballers in history. The 36-year-old is Argentina's captain and record scorer with 122 goals to his name.

Throughout his career, he's won just about everything there is to win and even guided his country to that incredible World Cup triumph in 2022. Messi has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards and scored over 725 goals just to further highlight the absurdity of his career. These days, he can be found in the United States, playing for Inter Miami and transforming football's popularity in MLS.

Striker: Sergio Aguero

Where he is now: Retired

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Sergio Aguero scored two in the semi-final victory over Brazil at the 2008 Olympics and enjoyed a hugely successful career in the years following. The diminutive striker smashed it at Atletico Madrid before joining Manchester City, where he evolved into one of the finest strikers of all time. His iconic goal on the final day of the 2011/12 season is one that has earned him a spot in the Premier League's history books forever.

After a decade at the Etihad, where the Argentine became one of the most lethal strikers in Premier League history, Aguero moved to Barcelona on a free transfer in 2021, but devastating heart issues forced him to hang his boots up just months later, bringing an end to one incredible career.

Left-wing: Angel Di Maria

Where he is now: Benfica

Angel Di Maria of Benfica celebrates

The man who netted the winner in the 2021 Copa America final did the exact same against Nigeria 13 years earlier. Not bad, Angel Di Maria. The forward has had a fantastic career following his Olympic success, playing 136 times for his country and featuring in a prominent role during their World Cup victory.

After making a name for himself at Benfica, he spent time at Real Madrid, becoming a global star. He later had a great time in France with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 92 times in 295 games. After a brief spell at Juventus, he rejoined Benfica in 2023 and is still performing at a very high level. The less said about his time at Manchester United, though, the better...

Sub: Jose Sosa

Where he is now: Estudiantes

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The first man substituted on during the final against Nigeria, Jose Sosa is still playing football today. His record of past clubs is a list of some of the best teams in Europe. The midfielder has spent time with Bayern Munich, Napoli and AC Milan over the years and made a total of 19 appearances for the Argentina senior team.

These days, at 38 years old, he's still plying his trade and is doing so at Estudiantes in his home nation of Argentina and, while he's quite obviously taken a step back, he's still putting in a shift for his club, with 23 appearances throughout 2023.

Sub: Ever Banega

Where he is now: Al Shabab

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Similarly to Monzon, Ever Banega's career was just getting underway when he joined Argentina for the 2008 Olympics. He'd just broken through at Boca Juniors and it wasn't long before he earned a move to Valencia. In Spain, he became a top star, spending six years with Valencia before moving to Sevilla.

After a brief spell at Inter Milan, he returned to Sevilla and over the course of five years, he played 238 times and won three Europa League trophies. Since 2020, he's been turning out for Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League, being one of the first stars to move to Saudi Arabia, where he has since been followed by some of the biggest names in football.

Sub: Ezequiel Lavezzi

Where he is now: Retired

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Another member of the team who went on to feature prominently in Argentina's 2014 World Cup runners-up campaign, Ezequiel Lavezzi had a fantastic career for the most part. Spells at Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain saw him become one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe for a period.

He played 51 times for his country in total and was one of their most important players during the 2010s. After moving to China and joining Hebei China Fortune in 2016, he retired from international duty and eventually spent three years with the club before he decided to retire in 2019.