Sport: Henry Drops Mbappe From Olympics Squad As Real Madrid Prioritizes Euro-2024

Sport: Henry Drops Mbappe From Olympics Squad As Real Madrid Prioritizes Euro-2024

Former Arsenal player and current head coach of France’s under-21 team, Thierry Henry, has dropped his push to include Kylian Mbappe in his 2024 Olympics squad.

Thierry Henry wanted to name Kylian Mbappe as one of the permitted over-age players in his 2024 Olympics squad, and the player in question was looking forward to it.

However, before Mbappe officially became a Real Madrid player, the Spanish giants wrote to their players to inform them that no player is permitted to represent his country in both the 2024 European Championship in Germany and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

This means that a player must choose to represent his country in either the Euro 2024 or the Olympics this summer to give them room to rest for the forthcoming 2024-2025 season.

Hence, Mbappe, who is now a Real Madrid player, has to settle for the Euro 2024 and sacrificed his dream of playing at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Thierry Henry named two players of Nigerian descent, Michael Olise and Lesley Ugochukwu, in his 25-man squad for the men’s football event of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

This is seen as a big compensation for Crystal Palace winger Olise, who was surprisingly left out of France’s Euro 2024 squad despite his prolific form at the Premier League club.

Chelsea midfielder Ugochukwu, who has played for France youth teams, will have a chance to prove his worth in Henry’s Olympics team this summer.

France, who are the hosts of the 2024 Olympics, will start their campaign in Group A, which features the United States, Guinea, and New Zealand.

Note that the football tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics will be held from 24 July to 10 August 2024.

Below is Thierry Henry’s 2024 Olympics provisional squad:

Goalkeepers:
Lucas Chevalier
Obed Nkambadio
Guillaume Restes
Robin Risser

Defenders:
Bafodé Diakité
Maxime Estève
Bradley Locko
Castello Lukeba
Kiliann Sildillia
Adrien Truffert
Leny Yoro

Midfielders:
Maghnes Akliouche
Joris Chotard
Désiré Doué
Manu Koné
Enzo Millot
Khéphren Thuram
Lesley Ugochukwu
Warren Zaïre-Emery

Attackers:
Bradley Barcola
Arnaud Kalimuendo
Alexandre Lacazette
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Michael Olise
Mathys Tel