Olympic football has some subtle differences to other international tournaments, the main one being that FIFA only allows players aged 23 or under to participate in the men’s competition, apart from three exceptions.
This is in contrast to the women’s equivalent, which treats the Olympic Games as a top-level tournament.
There was no Great Britain team in either tournament at the 2024 Games, with England failing to qualify via the Women’s Nations League, while the men have not entered a team since 2012, which was their first GB football team at the Olympics since 1960.
The very idea of a GB squad in 2012 was met with much derision, even to the point that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had initially insisted that they would not participate in a unified team.
In the end, only Welsh players were selected alongside English players in the 18-player squad, which was managed by Stuart Pearce.
After topping a group consisting of Senegal, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay, Team GB were knocked out in the quarter-finals by South Korea, who won 5-4 on penalties at the Millennium Stadium.
But who were those players involved, and where are they now? Here’s a reminder of that men’s squad and how their careers have panned out since.
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ByStephan Georgiou
Player
Age
Club
Jack Butland
19
Birmingham
Jason Steele
21
Middlesbrough
Ryan Bertrand
22
Chelsea
Steven Caulker
20
Tottenham
Craig Dawson
22
West Brom
Micah Richards
24
Man City
Danny Rose
22
Tottenham
Neil Taylor
23
Swansea
James Tomkins
23
West Ham
Joe Allen
22
Swansea
Jack Cork
23
Southampton
Tom Cleverley
22
Man Utd
Ryan Giggs
38
Man Utd
Aaron Ramsey
21
Arsenal
Scott Sinclair
23
Swansea
Craig Bellamy
33
Liverpool
Marvin Sordell
21
Bolton
Daniel Sturridge
22
Chelsea
Jack Butland Birmingham City
Jack Butland, now 31, has had a relatively successful career since his brief time as Team GB’s No 1. He eventually made his name as an established Premier League goalkeeper for Stoke City, alongside a variety of loan spells.
In 2023, he left Crystal Palace to join Scottish giants Rangers, where he won the Scottish League Cup and was named as their Player of the Year.
Internationally, Butland has earned nine caps for England, with both of his competitive appearances to date coming in qualifiers away to Lithuania – keeping a clean sheet on both occasions. At the Olympics, he played all four games for Team GB.
Jason Steele Middlesbrough
Now at Brighton & Hove Albion, Jason Steele’s path to the top saw him become No 1 at Middlesbrough before spells at Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland. In 2018, he moved to Brighton, where he had become the first-choice goalkeeper prior to the departure of manager Roberto De Zerbi.
As backup to Jack Butland at London 2012, Steele watched on from the sidelines during the Olympics, though he did make a pre-tournament friendly appearance for Team GB in a defeat to a star-studded Brazil side.
Ryan Bertrand Chelsea
Fresh from winning the Champions League on his European debut, Ryan Bertrand was drafted into Team GB, for whom he appeared three times at the Games.
Bertrand got his England debut soon after, appearing as a substitute in a friendly win over Italy in August 2012, and while his time at Chelsea failed to burst into life, the full-back became a dependable player in the top flight, namely for Southampton.
He suffered plenty of injury issues following his switch to Leicester City, and after a year without a club, the 34-year-old recently decided to call time on his career.
Steven Caulker Tottenham Hotspur
A first-choice defender for Stuart Pearce at London 2012, Steven Caulker was the youngest outfield player in the squad at 20.
A Spurs player at the time, Caulker had just completed a fine season on loan at Premier League new boys Swansea City, who had comfortably stayed up in 11th place.
He has become something of a journeyman since then, with spells at the Swans’ rivals, Cardiff, as well as Liverpool and QPR. Caulker also spent three years at various clubs in Turkey, while he spent 2023/24 at lower-league Spanish club Malaga City.
He now represents and captains the Sierra Leone national team.
Craig Dawson West Bromwich Albion
Still knocking around in the Premier League at 34, Craig Dawson was a stalwart at the back for Wolves, having made his name at West Brom before spells at Watford and West Ham, where he won the Conference League in 2023. He left Molineux behind after his contract expired and as of Christmas 2025 is a free agent.
Dawson made just two appearances at the Olympics: a late substitute appearance in the final group game against Uruguay and an hour in the quarter-final defeat to South Korea, with the centre-back scoring in the shootout.
Micah Richards Manchester City
Now a common staple of TV punditry, Micah Richards entered the Team GB squad as a newly crowned Premier League champion.
At 24, Richards was one of the three overage players selected by Stuart Pearce, who had given the defender his Manchester City debut. Richards played every minute of the group stage before being substituted in the quarter-final.
He went on to reach 13 England caps, scoring once, but only made two appearances following the arrival of Fabio Capello. Nowadays, he can be seen just about anywhere in the football media sphere, be it for the BBC, CBS Sports or on a football podcast, probably laughing his head off.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes Danny Rose Tottenham Hotspur
Another former player who has crossed into punditry, Danny Rose played for Spurs across 14 years, where his finest moment arguably came on his debut when scoring in a north London derby at White Hart Lane.
That said, he had a relatively successful international career, earning 29 caps for England, with eight of those coming in major tournaments.
Rose started the first game at the London Olympics but only made two further sub appearances, including during extra-time of the quarter-final.
Neil Taylor Swansea City
One of five Welshmen in the team, Swansea’s Neil Taylor was also one of three players based in south Wales at the time.
Taylor became a Premier League regular during the Welsh club’s stay in the top flight, before dropping a division to turn out for Aston Villa and Middlesbrough towards the end of his career.
The full-back also excelled internationally, having been a part of the Wales Euro 2016 squad that reached the semi-finals, with Taylor scoring in their group stage win over Russia. He also played every minute for Team GB at the 2012 Games.
Taylor is now assistant manager for Wales’ U21 side.
James Tomkins West Ham United
James Tomkins recently left Crystal Palace after eight years at Selhurst Park. The defender had moved across the capital from West Ham United, though he never made a senior appearance for England.
Tomkins only made one appearance for Team GB, playing 90 minutes in their group victory over UAE. He is now looking for a new club at the age of 35.
Joe Allen Swansea City
Joe Allen had just starred for a Swansea City side that more than held their own in their first season as a Premier League club, so his inclusion won’t have been a huge surprise.
What may have raised a few eyebrows would have been his ever-presence in the side, starting every game under Pearce and assisting Daniel Sturridge’s winner against Uruguay in the group stages.
Allen spent ten years away from his boyhood club at Liverpool and Stoke City, returning to Swansea in 2022, before retiring at the end of the 2024/25 season.