Olympic Football Tournament Final

FIFA.com relives the Men's Olympic Football Tournament, which saw Argentina retain their title against Nigeria, and Brazil finish in third place.

Argentina arrived in Greece billed as hot favourites - a mantle that had weighed heavily upon them at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Japan/Korea TM and the recent Copa America, where they were beaten in the final by Brazil. This time, however, the Albicelestes stood firm to win their first-ever Olympic Football Tournament gold medal, having twice fallen at the final hurdle, in 1928 and 1996.

Sixteen nations, 32 games and 102 goals - an average of over three per game - these were the vital statistics of the Men's Olympic Football Tournament in Australia.

Nigeria made Olympic football history by becoming the first African and non-European and South American team to win the gold medal. While the football tournament remained primarily an Under-23 competition, each of the 16 competing countries were allowed to use as many as three overage players in a compromise between FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.

It is not often the hosts win Olympic gold in football, but the Spanish did just that and in dramatic fashion.

The Soviet Union sometimes lived on the edge at the 1988 Summer Games, but proved to be difficult to beat for their second Olympic football gold medal.

Four years after the boycott over Afghanistan, the Eastern European countries returned the favour with yet another boycott, citing possible security problems. So, only weeks before the start of the Summer Games, favourite teams East Germany, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union were out, and West Germany, Italy and Norway were in.

The Communist countries held their own private Eastern bloc party in 1980 because a number of nations boycotted the Olympics. U.S. President Jimmy Carter refused to send American teams to Moscow after the Soviets' Afghanistan invasion. Six other countries that had qualified for the football tournament followed suit -- Argentina, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Malaysia and Norway.

The 1976 Summer Games marked the start of three consecutive boycotts as three African countries -- Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia -- dropped out for political reasons, as did Uruguay (for another reason).

Hungary tried to make it three straight in West Germany, but fell to midfielder Kazimierz Deyna and Poland in the final, 2-1. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Poland took advantage of near gale-force winds at their backs to pull out the win before 80,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium.

The 1968 Summer Games might have been the most tumultuous of all Olympics, and that confusion and problems touched the football tournament as well. In the end, Hungary, who captured their third gold medal, joined Great Britain (1908 and 1912) and Uruguay (1924 and 1928) as the only back-to-back Olympic champions.

The football tournament added another tier as the second-place team in each of the four groups also qualified for the quarter-finals. Even before the opening kick-off, the 1964 event was marred because 328 people were killed during rioting at a qualifying match between Peru and Argentina in Lima.

Three times the bridesmaid, Yugoslavia's patience and football ability finally paid off as they took home gold.

Because of the Hungarian Revolution and the Soviet Union's reaction to it, only 11 countries participated in this tournament, making it the smallest football competition since the 1908 & 1912 Summer Games.

This tournament saw the birth of one of the greatest football teams: Hungary, who were soon to become known as the Magic Magyars, led by the fabulous Galloping Major, Ferenc Puskas. And magic did the Hungarians perform, rolling to five consecutive wins, scoring 20 goals and allowing just two.

Due to World War II, there were 12 years between Olympics. In the meantime, the professional game flourished and became stronger.

Because of the growing professional influence and of the presence of a World Cup, there were difficulties defining what an amateur was. With no solution at the time, the International Olympic Committee decided not to include football at the 1932 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

If there was any doubt about Uruguay's prowess at the 1924 Summer Games, it was all but dispelled four years later, as the South Americans captured their second successive crown. The Uruguayans were led by eight returnees from the 1924 squad, including Andrade, Jose Nasazzi, and Hector Scarone.

The Olympic Football Tournament became more than just an eastern hemisphere competition when a South American side made a memorable debut - the marvellously talented and skilful Uruguay.

After an eight-year hiatus due to World War I, football returned to the global arena in Belgium as the Olympic flag and its famous five rings was hoisted for the first time. Slowly but surely the football tournament was expanding as 14 countries participated, including a non-European nation for the first time -- Egypt.

In an Olympic first and rarity, the 1-2-3 finish of the 1908 Games was duplicated four years later. The tournament, which grew to 11 teams, started the practice of playing the games in venues outside the main Olympic city. Matches were also hosted in Rasunda and Traneburg.