the team with the best players who played the best football won the gold medal at the tokyo 2021 olympic games. it doesn’t always work like that in international football, but brazil’s 2-1 win over spain in the match for the gold medal was just a reward for a country that still cares a lot about winning the olympics. It was Brazil’s record eighth men’s soccer medal and second consecutive gold medal after winning it for the first time in Rio in 2016.
brazil’s three strikers, led by tournament top scorer richarlison, made the difference throughout the competition and spain was simply the latest casualty. Matheus Cunha pounced on a ball between three Spanish defenders to expertly finish just before the break. Then, in extra time, it was Malcom who eliminated Real Madrid defender Jesús Vallejo to finish off a clinical counter-attack and a world-class serve from right winger Antonio.
The Brazilians took the lead from veteran statesman, captain and still a world-class right back, 38-year-old Dani Alves, who set the tone with another outstanding effort. his run into the spain box to save a ball that went out of bounds created the first goal for brazil. he really wanted to win the gold and he showed it on the play: it was the only honor that was missing from his trophy case.
the cream finally rose to the top in this 2021 tournament and the final four (including bronze medal winner mexico and fourth place japan) were definitely a class above the rest of the field of 16 teams and the results showed that outside. Brazil’s victory and high-profile final involving two favorite and mighty soccer nations leaves a lackluster 2021 tournament with a bit of shine.
same old story for spain
They were the pre-tournament favorites with six players on the roster for the Euro 2021 team that reached the semi-finals. When it comes to the volume of football created, Spain were by far the best team and their complement of skilled players remains impressive. But whether it’s the senior European Championship team or the Tokyo Olympic team, Spain’s men’s teams continue to lack cutting edge on both sides of the ball. They’re usually pretty good at working together, but they’re just not great when it comes to one player constantly stepping up and making the big play.
In the two instances that decided the match, the Spanish defenders fell short. In the first goal, three players failed to clear a ball that they let bounce in the area, and Cunha did the rest. And the way Vallejo took the ball away hard for the second goal will not inspire much confidence in Real Madrid fans heading into a season without Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos.
the only constant player in attack was mikel oyarzabal. winger dani olmo shows flashes, marco asensio is the typical hot and cold player that he is (he was very cold against brazil). We were left wondering what it would have been like if Atletico Madrid’s Rafa Mir goal had had more runs than the start against Japan.
the spaniards may have been unlucky in a brazilian goal line clearance (16th minute) and a shot by bryan gil (above) that hit the crossbar two minutes from the end of regulation time, but in overall they were second best in the game.
best men’s olympic soccer players
The level of talent wasn’t the greatest at these Olympics, but amidst the mediocrity, the ones that stood out were the ones who made the difference and helped lead their teams to the medal rounds. here are the top five:
5. alexis vega (mexico): when the ball was on his foot he made things happen like few others in the competition. It is already said that Porto is interested in the side. he is playing the best football of his career.
4. dani alves (brazil): maybe it was because the quality of the tournament was average, but the class of the 38-year-old right-back shone in every game. he won the only title that was missing from his trophy case.
3. sebastián córdoba (mexico): skills with both feet, vision, dribbling and mastery of set pieces should make the playmaker a prime euro transfer target. The most impressive thing about his tournament was the personality that he showed by pulling the strings.
2. takefusa kubo (japan): his talent, speed and tireless running of his made him difficult to contain. There is already talk that many teams across Europe are interested in acquiring him, but will Real Madrid be open to a transfer? Or could they really give him his big break?
1. richarlison (brazil): and it’s not because he was the top scorer. he hurried, chased and worked like few others. he almost felt as if he loved him more than any other player. desire and talent are the ingredients for stardom. Let’s see if he can take the next step.
main tournament conclusions
Next wave of Brazilian attackers: The Brazilian pipeline continues to pump out talent. matheus cunha (hertha berlin), malcolm (zenit), reinier (borussia dortmund) and especially antony (ajax) are not far from breaking through with the brazil senior team if they can continue their strong olympic play with their euro club teams . Meanwhile, Richarlison is a Brazil fixture and one of the best players in the major league, but he has what it takes to have a season that ultimately leads to a transfer to a Champions League contender.
Who wants it more?: Clearly, the teams that take the Olympic tournament seriously and convince the best players (or their clubs) to participate are usually the ones with the best performance. It helps explain the success of the final four teams and the failure of countries like Germany, France, and Argentina.
Young Player Showcase: The Olympics have a place in men’s international football as an under-23 tournament (under-24 in 2021 given the one-year postponement). If nothing else, the Olympic tournament provides a platform for promising young stars to make their case for a transfer or more playing time with their club team. This is important for nations like Mexico and Japan – they know that only by having more young players develop their game in Europe will they be able to overtake traditional elite powerhouses in the Senior Men’s World Cup. some of their players should get a lot of attention in the last three weeks of the transfer window.