Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the greatest soccer players of all time. The Argentinian has scored more than 837 professional goals after 1,100 appearances for club and country. Since winning the 2021 Copa America, Lionel Messi and his compatriots have taken the world by storm. The team won the 2022 Finalissima, a one-off match between South American and European champions. To top this off, Messi then finally got his hands on the long-awaited World Cup trophy in December 2022, beating France on penalties.
As of now, the Argentinean national football team is the best team in the world according to FIFA rankings. It might be logical to assume that they will win the 2024 Copa America, but if there is something we can learn from recent trends, it is that South America’s premier international football trophy is less predictable than the lottery.
Therefore, we are tackling the highly-anticipated question: despite his career achievements, will Lionel Messi’s success or failure this July define his legacy?
Copa America stats Messi could break in 2024
First, Messi’s past performance in the Copa America has to be addressed. As of his winning campaign in 2021, Messi has taken part in six editions of the tournament (2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021).
Related Posts
He has played 34 times, provided 13 goals and 17 assists in the meantime. He led Argentina to five medals; one bronze medal in 2019; three silver medals in 2007, 2015 and 2016; one gold medal in 2021. Going into the 2024 edition, the Argentinian is hoping to break the following records:
If Messi scores more than four goals, he will become the all-time Copa America scorer. Messi currently has 13 goals, while Norberto Mendes and Cicinho are jointly on 17 goals.
If Messi plays even one game, He will immediately become the most capped player in the Copa America with 35 appearances, overtaking Sergio Livingston (34). Messi will also become the first Argentine player to have played in seven Copa Americas.
If Messi wins the award, he will become the first player to win the award two consecutive times.
If Messi is able to be involved in five more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo, he will overtake Ronaldo for the all-time record in international football for his country.
If Messi scores a hat-trick in this Copa America, he will become one of 11 players to have scored more than one hat-trick in the Copa America (Messi’s only hat-trick came against Panama in 2016).
So why will this tournament even matter?
Sure, Messi has already achieved his dream of winning a trophy with his beloved national team, but to repeat the feat as the reigning world champion is not only ideal, but very much possible.
As of writing, Argentina is the best-performing big nation in the competition. Brazil started off well by winning the first two games, but have failed to win any off the last four. Uruguay is running second, but consecutive hiccups away from home in Ecuador and Colombia cost them precious points. So, as leaders of the qualification table, Argentina is still the team to beat.
Sure, you might think it is possible for outsiders to take the crown. Let us tell you that, out of the 47 tournaments to ever take place, the Big Three has a combined trophy count of 39. The last time any of the Big Three did not make it to the final was in 2001, and the last time before that was 1979.
Lionel Messi could not have asked for a better chance to win the Copa America. If you believe in him to win it all again, visit jbo to test your chance.
Argentina Copa America 2024 Fixture
As defending champions, Argentina is placed in Group A. They are joined by two-time winners Peru and Chile, as well as debutants Canada.
Argentina’s title defence begins in Atlanta, Georgia with a home match against debutants Canada; the North American team is invited to join the prestigious tournament for the first time as they look to gather experience and qualify for their second successive World Cup. Their FIFA ranking of 48th is unsurprisingly the lowest in the Group.
Throughout the past decade, Chile is Argentina’s nightmare. The Chileans won their first two Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016, on both occasions against Argentina on penalties. They have yet to reproduced the highs of 2015 and 2016, and have not qualified for the World Cup since 2014. Their FIFA rankings have dropped from third-best in 2016 to 40th.
If the first two games do not go so well, Argentina will have the hardest opponent to round out the group stage. Two-time winners Peru have not won anything since 1975, and their rankings have massively plummeted in the past few years; the 2019 runners-up and 2021 fourth-place nation is now ranked below Ecuador at 35th.
