Football Features

“They’d score a lot of goals” – Who would make a Team GB men’s XI for Tokyo 2020?

By Squawka News

Published: 17:56, 18 November 2019

Although many will be excited about Euro 2020 next year, fans do also have the Olympics to look forward to for their footballing fix.

Hosted by Tokyo and running between July 22 and August 8, 16 men’s teams from six confederations will be taking part. As always, nations are restricted to under-23 players – born on or after January 1, 1997) with a maximum of three over that age allowed.

As things stand there are six men’s teams qualified including hosts Japan, France, Germany, Romania, Spain and New Zealand.

And while Great Britain will have representation in the football through the women’s team, there will be no men’s Team GB at Tokyo as the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could not come to an agreement – though they would not have qualified anyway.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate and build dream XIs.

The last time Team GB did have representation in the men’s football was in London 2012 when the likes of Ryan Giggs, Micah Richards, Daniel Sturridge and Martin Sordell lined up for Stuart Pearce’s side.

In true English fashion, Team GB were knocked out at the quarter-final stage on penalties, though it was South Korea who toppled them and not the usual suspects of Germany or Portugal.

So, who would get into a Team GB side if they were to take part of Tokyo 2020? Would it be dominated by English stars with smatterings of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland? Who would be the three overage players? And, of the players available, what would be the best XI?

Watch the video at the top of the article to see what Muhammad Butt and 2012 Team GB representative Marvin Sordell think, building a dream Olympic XI.

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