Argentina national team: how many goals does Lionel Messi have in the Copa América? :: Olé

With Lionel Messi at the head, the Argentine National Team the defense of the title begins America Cup. After consecration in 2021, the Scaloneta will seek to repeat the feat in the United States. And this Thursday, June 20, The Albiceleste will make its debut in the continental competition against Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Although the great objective is to become champion again, that will not be the only challenge that the captain of the national team will have ahead of him. Leo is very close to achieving an impressive mark: that of becoming the top scorer in the history of the Copa América. Among the six editions that he played, The man from Rosario scored 13 goals in total: two in 2007, one in 2015, five in 2016, one in 2019 and four in 2021. Only in 2011, in the tournament held in Argentina, he was unable to score in any match. In Olewe invite you to remember all their screams.

In his first time in this tournament, in 2007, a barely twenty-year-old Leo had the luxury of converting two qualifying matches. In the quarterfinals, he scored the second of what would be a 4-0 rout against Peru. And in the semis, he also made it 2-0 in what was finally a 3-0 victory against Mexico. However, he could not repeat in the final, where the Albiceleste lost 3-0 to Brazil

Paradoxically, Messi could not convert in the tournament that was played in Argentina. Leo was part of a team that did not meet expectations and was eliminated in the quarterfinals against Uruguay.

After reaching the world final in 2014, Argentina arrived at the competition as one of the clear candidates. On top of that, Leo was intractable: He had just won the Champions League with Barcelona and was close to winning his fifth Ballon d’Or..

Leo started that competition in Chile with a goal: it was a penalty, in the debut against Paraguay. However, That was the only goal scored by La Pulga in that editionin the National Team led by Tata Martino, she would finish as runner-up.

In the Copa América Centenario, Leo achieved his best scoring record: he scored five times and was one of the top scorers of that edition. Leo scored a hat-trick against Panama in the group stage, a goal against Venezuela in the 4-1 victory in the quarterfinals and another in the 4-0 victory against the United States in the semifinals.. Unfortunately, he could not close with a flourish and ended up losing the final to Chile, where the captain missed his penalty in the shootout. Luckily, football gave him revenge.

In the first Copa América of the Scaloni era, Messi scored once: It was a penalty in the 1-1 Paraguay, in the group stage. This tournament was not Leo’s best, as he could not stand out in a team that was in full construction.

What can I say about this edition, in which I read from start to finish. With the Scaloneta, Leo scored four goals (he was one of the scorers) and gave five assists. The man from Rosario scored a great goal from a free kick in the 1-1 draw with Chile in the debut, scored a double against Bolivia and scored the third in the 3-0 victory against Ecuador in the quarterfinals. And of course, everything ended with Argentina lifting the cup at the Maracaná after beating Brazil 1-0.

Leo needs four goals to reach first place in the all-time scoring table, and five to become the top scorer alone.. Currently, the Argentine Norberto Mendezbetter known as Tucho, is currently one of the top scorers in the history of the Copa América. In total, he scored 17 goals and won the three-time championship between 1945 and 1947 with Argentina.. Will Messi manage to surpass it in 2024?

• Norberto Méndez (Argentina) – 17 goals
• Zizinho (Brazil) – 17 goals
• Teodoro Fernández (Peru) – 15 goals
• Severino Varela (Uruguay) – 15 goals
• Eduardo Vargas (Chile) – 14 goals
• Paolo Guerrero (Peru) – 14 goals
• Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 13 goals
• Ademir de Menezes (Brazil) – 13 goals
• Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) – 13 goals
• Jair da Rosa Pinto (Brazil) – 13 goals