Football
Tokyo Olympics: Men's Football: Top 5 La Liga players at the Olympics
La Liga has produced probably the best football players of the this century till now, and some of those rose to fame at the Olympics. Let us look at five la liga players to keep an eye on at the Olympics.
Messi and Suarez, two of the best players in La Liga, but unfortunately they wont be participating at the Olympics. (Image Source: Insider)
The Spanish La Liga has produced probably the best football players of this century till now, and some of those rose to fame at the Olympics. Let us look at five La Liga players to keep an eye on at the Olympics.
1.Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio (Source: AFP/Getty Images)
Age: 25
Position: Winger
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Spain
International caps: 25
Marco Asensio played his early football in local Mallorca clubs. In 2013, he made his senior debut with RCD Mallorca B and soon became a regular in the first team. Then he realized his boyhood dream when he was signed by Real Madrid in 2014 as an 18-year-old. He played a further couple of years in Catalonia on loan but is now a standard fixture in the Real Madrid first team.
After debuting for Spain at the U16 level in 2012, he steadily rose through the ranks until his senior debut in 2016. He only has 1 goal to his name in Spanish colours thus far, and will be looking to create more chances and score as well during these Games.
2.Óscar Mingueza
Óscar Mingueza (Source: Imago via barcauniversal.com)
Age: 22
Position: Defender
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
International caps: 1
Another Catalan to watch out for, Óscar Mingueza joined Barcelona's youth set-up as an eight-year-old and has been at the club ever since. He started out in the Barcelona B team as a senior player, and now often makes the bench and comes on as a substitute for the first team.
His Spain career is extremely young, as he has only begun in 2021, but he has made a big enough impression to be selected for the Olympic squad.
 
3.Takefusa Kubo
Takefusa Kubo (Source: espn.in)
Age: 20
Position: Winger
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Japan
International caps: 11
Takefusa Kubo started out in local Kawasaki club FC Persimmon at the age of 8, and spent his youth football days across 5 clubs, including four years at Barcelona. He then went back to Japan for his senior professional debut with FC Tokyo, after which he was signed by Real Madrid in 2019. His last 3 seasons have been spent on loan at multiple Spanish clubs.
He has also been a regular in the Japan youth sides, right from the U15s through to his senior debut this year, since which he has become a mainstay in the team.
 
4. Unai Simón
Unai Simón (Source: https://www.fcbarcelonanoticias.com/)
Age: 24
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Club Athletic
Country: Spain
International caps: 13
Unai was born and has played all his football, in the Basque country. He joined Athletic Club's youth system in 2011 and left in 2014, only to return in 2016 and play regularly for the B side. That has now been rewarded as he is now the first choice keeper for the first team, and has a long-term deal.
He has also progressed steadily through Spain's youth sides, starting with the U16s in 2013. Unai has played 13 matches for Spain since his debut last year.
 
5. Pau Torres
Pau Torres (Source: Soccrates Images/Getty Images)
Age: 24
Position: Centre-back
Club: Villareal
Country: Spain
International caps: 14
Pau Torres is a Villareal man through and through. He joined the academy aged just 5 and played for the C and B sides in 2016-17. The following season saw him break into the first team, where he is now playing every minute of every game and scoring the odd goal as well.
His Spain career is in its nascent stages, considering he has only played 14 matches thus far since 2019, while simultaneously fitting in in the U23s and U19s briefly. He is considered a bright prospect for the future.
