With the 2024 Olympic Games coming to a close, the tournament has showcased a number of men’s under-23 soccer stars who have caught the attention of fans and clubs alike. ESPN’s writers pick out the breakout players who have improved their standing, detail what makes them so special and why they could be on the move during the summer transfer window.
Standing at 6-foot-6, it’s been hard to miss 22-year-old Richardson during the Olympics, as he’s dominated midfield contests for Morocco en route to a semifinal defeat by Spain. The son of former NBA star Micheal “Sugar” Ray Richardson, who represented the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors among others, he has excelled in a different sporting discipline, having joined the academy of his hometown club Nice as a youngster. He then broke through at Le Havre in 2021-22, before signing for Stade de Reims in 2022 and making his senior debut for Morocco a year later, despite overtures from United States.
At the Olympics, beyond his sheer size and presence, Richardson has demonstrated admirable technical ability, the nous to win fouls and recycle possession intelligently, and a spurt of pace to beat his man and change the dynamic of a midfield battle. He’s now being linked with a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur, with manager Ange Postecoglou having identified the former France under-21 midfielder as a worthy “Plan B” after appearing to miss out on Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, who is to join Atlético Madrid. — Ed Dove
As the battle raged against France in the Olympic quarterfinal, Juan Pablo Varsky, one of Argentina’s leading football journalists, paused to pay tribute to central midfielder Fernández. “The genuine article,” he said. “Against any opponent and in any context. An exciting footballer.”
Strong on the ball, versatile and with an outstanding left foot, Fernández has done remarkably well over the past few years, benefiting from the first-team experience of a loan spell to Tigre in 2022. Back at Boca Juniors he soon established himself as a pillar of the side, and also coach Javier Mascherano’s trusted man in the engine room for Argentina’s U23s, able to anchor the midfield and also put moves in motion. He may lack half a yard of pace to become truly world class, though. Portugal seemed like the probable destination, but on Monday he signed for Al Qadsiah of the Saudi Pro League. — Tim Vickery
OK, he is not really a player that we are now discovering in these Olympic Games but he deserves a shout out. The Barcelona attacking midfielder played 42 games (scoring 11 goals) last season in all competitions for the Catalans, mostly as a super-sub under former coach Xavi Hernandez, and he was part of Spain’s Euro 2024 2024-winning squad. However, he has been the shining light of this U23 Olympic side.
In a team with Abel Ruiz, Álex Baena and Pablo Barrios, Fermín has been the most important player for head coach Santi Denia. His brace against Japan in the quarterfinals changed the game and he has three goals in the competition. Not that long ago, in the 2022-23 season, he was playing in the third division for Linares on loan from Barcelona. Now his stellar summer with his country will hopefully boost his chances to gain a starting place under new Barcelona coach Hansi Flick. — Julien Laurens
Over four games, Restes has delivered three clean sheets and some outstanding saves against Argentina and USA. Still only 19, he is one of the youngest players in this Olympics men tournament but has been a wall, making 12 saves with 0.84 goals prevented.
Already a regular in Ligue 1 for two seasons at Toulouse, he is the best in his position in his age group. Great on his line with a strong personality and a good leadership to lead his defence, he is decent on the ball too with his left foot and has a great future ahead of him. Restes had a taste of European football last season in the Europa League after winning the French Cup with his boyhood club and he will stay one more year in the south of France but after that, the sky is the limit for him. — Laurens
Big things were expected of Adel at the Olympics following his exploits for Egypt during their run to the final of the U23 Africa Cup of Nations in 2023. He hasn’t disappointed. The 23-year-old was Player of the Tournament in Morocco last year, thriving either behind the forwards or in his favoured left-wing role, realizing the promise he demonstrated during his breakout season in 2020-21 when he netted 14 goals for Pyramids FC.
Before the Olympics, there were rumours of interest from Belgium, France, Denmark and elsewhere, and the speculation has only been amplified following his man-of-the-match display against tournament favourites Spain as the Pharaohs topped Group C. He netted both goals in a 2-1 triumph, while his 88th-minute header against Paraguay kept the North Africans alive in the quarterfinal.
Against France in the semi he demonstrated, albeit in a losing effort, the kind of swagger and élan in possession that one might associate with Gallic greats in years gone by. Lyon are just one of the big names rumored to be circling around a player who — whisper it — has even more flair and bravado than Mohamed Salah at the same age. — Dove
Name an offensive category, and Paredes probably led the U.S. in it, or came very close. He tied for the most goals (two, both against Guinea) and most assists (one). He had easily the most chances created (11), including four against France. He also had a couple of lovely crosses that created by far the USA’s best scoring chances in that game.
Paredes was second in progressive carries, despite that usually being a defender’s stat. He had the most 1-vs-1 attempts (11) and suffered the most fouls (18). If the U.S. needed to force the issue, they looked to Paredes. He was outstanding, and we’ll see if he can use that as a prompt for a big year with VfL Wolfsburg, where he started for much of the second half of last season. — Bill Connelly
The tradition of Paraguayan football is based much more on quiet resilience than flashy moments of inspiration, and Gómez was a faithful exponent of this heritage in the team’s Olympic campaign, where only a penalty shootout defeat to Egypt stopped them from making it to the semifinals. He was a substitute in the team that qualified for the Paris Games in such impressive style at the start of the year. Come the tournament, he was given the task of stepping in for the injured Fabrizio Peralta, one of the most important members of the side. And he rose to the task in silent yet effective style.
Gómez, of Paraguayan giants Olimpia, was the team’s leading ball winner, covering space, launching himself into tackles and dispatching the ball quickly to a better-placed colleague. He stepped up in the shootout, too, safely converting his penalty against Egypt. He will probably fly below the radar of the world’s leading clubs, but is highly valued by those who play alongside him. — Vickery
The godson of Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, Tessman is shaped like a football safety (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and brought the same type of physical presence to the Olympics as he did to Venezia’s 2023-24 successful campaign in Serie B. He was a key reason for Venezia’s promotion, producing six goals, three assists and lots of ball progression, and at the Olympics he led the U.S. in both ball recoveries and progressive passes. He was an occasional target on corners as well.
Tessman’s play reinforced why some of Italy’s bigger clubs are in pursuit: He was long rumored to be heading for Internazionale before a deal fell through, and he’s supposedly now being pursued by both AS Roma and Fiorentina. — Connelly
