Argentina star Lionel Messi has been offered the captaincy ahead of the Olympics - if he attends.

The World Cup winners saw their Under-23s beat Brazil Under-23s 1-0 on Sunday night to progress to the Olympics this summer in France.

Current captain Thiago Almada, though, has said he would be willing to give up the armband if Messi would join up with the squad at the Paris Games.

The Atlanta United ace, who plays alongside the Inter Miami superstar in the MLS, is hoping that the 36-year-old could be talked into joining the squad.

He told Dsports: “I am very happy for the group and the coaching staff, they deserve it.

"We showed that we were better throughout the tournament, always surpassing our opponent.