Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentine national team, will be able to expand his legacy in South American football as soon as the ball rolls in the Copa América in the United States-2024.
C I N E 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/wmpI0x4S4x
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) June 18, 2024
1. Most games played in Copa América history
The record for most games played in the Copa América is shared between Messi and the historic Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone (34).
The Argentine star participated in the last six editions of the Conmebol tournament (Venezuela-2007, Argentina-2011, Chile-2015, Centenario-2016, Brazil-2019 and Brazil-2021).
As soon as the duel against Canada begins, on Thursday (20), in Atlanta, Messi will isolate himself as the player with the most games played in the history of the Copa América.
2. Top scorer in the Copa América
Brazilian Zizinho and Argentine Norberto Méndez share the record for top scorers in the Copa América with 17 goals each. Messi, with 13, needs four goals to equal the mark and five to set a new record.
A tangible goal, given his goalscoring ability, especially taking into account that the ‘Albiceleste’ number 10 scored four goals in the last edition of the tournament.
3. First player to win consecutive Copa América as captain
Since the introduction of the modern Copa América format, no captain has won the tournament in consecutive editions. If Argentina are crowned champions in 2024, Messi will become the first captain to achieve this feat.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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