What Team GB's Olympic football squad could have looked like in Paris

Ali Pollock

Team GB have decided once again to not enter a men's football team at the Olympics, continuing the trend of only selecting a squad for the home Games in London back in 2012.

Barring in 2012, it has been over 50 years since Great Britain last entered a men's football team to an Olympic Games and they show no sign of changing that any time soon.

The women's team did have the chance to go to Paris but failed to qualify after England, the nominated team to gain selection to the Games, finished second in their UEFA Nations League group.

With Olympic fever creeping in once again it seems a shame that Britain hasn't entered a football squad, but we at Flashscore have decided it would be fun to look at who could have been included had a side been entered to the men's the competition.

Selection rules

A nation can't just pick any of its best players and send them to the Olympics.

For the men's tournament, squads consist of 18 players who must be aged 23 or under (born on or after January 1st, 2001).

Each squad is allowed three players over the age limit - and Team GB can select from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although in 2012 neither the Scots nor the Irish offered up their services.

Back at the London Games, the FA had an agreement with Team GB that no members of England's Euro 2012 squad could compete at the Olympics - barring an exception for third-choice goalkeeper Jack Butland - so we will work around those same restrictions here.

There's also the caveat that a lot of clubs wouldn't want some of their players to go to the Olympics, but we won't factor that in as it would leave slim pickings in plenty of positions.

Goalkeepers

Of the 18-man squad, most nations select two goalkeepers to compete for their number one spot at the Olympics - Butland and Jason Steele were taken by Team GB in 2012.

We'll go off of that same basis here, picking out two under-23 goalkeepers for our hypothetical squad.

James Trafford (21, Burnley)

Trafford was included in England's provisional Euro 2024 squad but didn't make the cut for the final tournament.

The young goalkeeper came through Manchester City's academy before signing permanently for Burnley where he featured in the Premier League.

He has also been a regular member of England's under-21 squad, winning the European Championships with them in 2023 without conceding a single goal.

Carl Rushworth (23, Brighton)

Another top young English talent, Rushworth is highly thought of across the EFL after an impressive loan spell with Swansea last season.

The 23-year-old impressed in Wales and will no doubt get another shot higher up the Championship this summer should Brighton decide to loan him out again - a capable deputy to Trafford in our side.

Defenders

Given there aren't many previous squads to go off of, we'll call back to London again where Team GB took seven defenders.

Conor Bradley (21, Liverpool)

Northern Irish youngster Bradley broke into Liverpool's side last season and showed he can offer plenty in both defence and attack, impressing during his short spell as the Reds' starting right-back.

He is also a regular part of the Northern Irish senior squad and has already made 15 appearances for his country.

Archie Gray (18, Tottenham Hotspur)

Yes, he's technically a midfielder, but Gray has just completed his debut season playing right-back with Leeds in the Championship and earned himself a move to Spurs for a reported £40 million fee.

The sky is the limit for the young Englishman, who was widely regarded as the best young talent in the EFL and could offer his services both in defence or midfield for our Olympic side.

Jarrad Branthwaite (22, Everton)

Branthwaite was the talk of the Premier League for much of last season after his impressive performances for Everton - even earning himself a spot in the provisional Euro 2024 squad before being harshly cut ahead of the tournament.

England's loss is our gain here, though, with Branthwaite one of the best young centre-backs in the country.

Jarell Quansah (21, Liverpool)

Another defender plying his trade on Merseyside who was cut from England's initial Euro squad, Quansah has equally impressed for Liverpool as his counterpart Branthwaite has for Everton.

The 21-year-old was often selected ahead of more experienced players and cemented himself as an important part of the Reds' squad - and could have been an ideal candidate to head to the Olympics.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis (22, Southampton)

Harwood-Bellis is a Manchester City academy graduate but really grew into his own after leaving the club for loan spells in the Championship, first with Burnley and then Southampton.

His performances with the latter were so impressive, they opted to buy him permanently this summer upon promotion to the Premier League.

The defender has even captained England's under-21 side in the past.

Levi Colwill (21, Chelsea)

Chelsea defender Colwill offers some useful versatility, capable of playing centrally or at left-back and racked up 30 appearances for the Blues last season.

He also made his England debut and was an integral part of the U21 defence that won the European Championships, alongside Harwood-Bellis.

Rico Lewis (19, Manchester City)

Perhaps the most established member of the squad so far, Lewis has already played 50 times for Manchester City and won a treble as well as an extra Premier League title last season.

That sort of experience is invaluable and coupled with his versatility across defence and in midfield, he becomes a must-have in our team.

Midfielders

The qualification for whether a player is a midfielder or a forward is a little loose these days, but there are nine spots left in the squad so we'll look at five 'midfielders' and four 'forwards'.

Harvey Elliott (21, Liverpool)

Another highly experienced player, yet one who still doesn't break the age threshold for squad selection, Elliott has played over 100 times for Liverpool and won every domestic trophy available in his short career thus far.

He's handy going forward too, contributing to 14 goals in all competitions last season.

James Garner (23, Everton)

Garner came through Manchester United's academy and has found a home in the Premier League with Everton, often putting in a shift in various positions.

The 23-year-old can play right-back, right midfield or centrally and still just about meets the age limits for our Olympic squad.

Lewis Miley (18, Newcastle)

Miley was another breakout star in the Premier League last season, coming into Newcastle's midfield aged 17 and never looking back until injury cut his campaign short.

Still, there aren't many young midfielders of a mold like him in the country and he is perhaps only comparable to the likes of Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo - both of which made England's Euro 2024 squad.

Curtis Jones (23, Liverpool)

Another member of the under-21 European Championship winners - quite the theme developing here - Jones has already established himself as a Premier League regular and an important cog in Liverpool's team.

He was also in England's provisional squad this summer but didn't manage to make his senior debut.

James Maddison* (27, Tottenham Hotspur)

The first of our over-23 players, Maddison has impressed for a long time in the Premier League first with Leicester and then with Spurs.

Over the last six years, he has bagged 47 league goals and got a further 41 assists.

Forwards

Brennan Johnson (23, Tottenham Hotspur)

Johnson is the first and only Welshman to be included, representing one of the better wide options available after a solid league campaign alongside Maddison at Spurs.

The winger got five goals and an impressive ten assists last season and has been a regular feature in the Welsh national side for the last three years.

Noni Madueke (22, Chelsea)

Chelsea winger Madueke took a different route through football compared to most of the other players mentioned, having developed in the Netherlands with PSV before joining Chelsea back in England.

He has since featured fairly often for the Blues and was, of course, part of England's under-21 European Championship-winning side.

Marcus Rashford* (26, Manchester United)

Despite lacking some form last season, it wasn't long ago that Rashford was hitting 30 goals in a season for Manchester United.

The forward has clear talent and is also able to play across the front three if needed - making him worthy of one of our over-23 spots.