Lionel Messi to Be Overlooked for 2016 Rio Olympics by Argentina's Tata Martino

Lionel Messi will be left out of Argentina's plans for the Rio 2016 Olympics after manager Gerardo Martino admitted he's worried about the player suffering from burnout.

Speaking to Argentinian newspaper Clarin, "Tata" claimed it "would be overkill" to select Messi for another competition this year (h/t Guardian):

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Exposing Leo by using him in another competition after all the football he’s played would be overkill, in my opinion. It would come back to haunt us in terms of what we have in store in the second half of the year. 

Common sense dictates that he and other players in his position should only feature in the Copa America.

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Martino admitted he is yet to discuss the topic with the player himself, meaning Messi could yet go for a second Olympic gold medal, having helped Argentina win top prize at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Argentina will participate in the Centennial Copa America this June just before the Olympics are scheduled to get underway in Brazil, and Martino elaborated further on the players' need for rest amid so many fixtures:

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Considering the amount of football in their legs, because many of our most important players reach the latter stages of international competitions having played a lot of games, I think it’s only logical to take the weight of having to play in both the Copa América and the Olympics off their shoulders.

I see it as more important for them to be in good shape for World Cup qualifying, for them to be able to spend pre-season with their clubs and have a break after the Copa America.

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Olympic rules dictate that each nation's squad be made up of players aged 23 or under, while each team is also permitted to nominate three overage players.

Messi was only 21 years of age in Beijing, but at the age of 28, he would now have to occupy one of Argentina's three vacancies for players over the age limit.

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Martino confirmed his intention to rest the Barcelona superstar on the eve of the 2015 Ballon d'Or ceremony, where Messi sits alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar as one of the three nominees for the award.

BT Sport summarised the attacker's year in highlights, and Argentina's national team would be sure to miss a figure who bagged 52 goals and made 26 assists in just 61 games over the course of last year:

Martino undoubtedly holds a familiar relationship with Messi considering he was at the Barcelona helm during the 2013-14 season, meaning the player is likely to have a large say in the decision.

The Olympics would be missing out on a major name if Messi were to be absent for the contest, and the player would be forced to wait until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for his next potential shot at adding another gold medal to his trophy cabinet.