Messi is not in the top 5 of Copa America scorers: Meet the tournament's all-time top scorers

Lionel Messi, currently a player for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, is considered in the eyes of many to be the best player in the league. history and the world today, and that is precisely why he is always taken into account when talking about football records. However, there is one statistic in which the Rosario star and former player of FC Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain does not even figure among the top 5: The number of goals scored in Copa América championships.

Throughout the history and development of this continental event, a total of 1,000 tournaments have been held 47 times over the past century, hundreds of the continent’s best players have participated, including, of course, Messi, representing his native Argentina, who is currently ranked eighth in the tournament’s top scorers’ table.

Despite this, there is a select group of players who have stood out for above the rest thanks to his great ability to score goals in one of the longest-running competitions in the world of soccer.

The throne of the top scorer of the Copa America is shared by two legends, the greatest the world has ever seen on a playing field: Argentine Norberto Méndez and Brazilian Zizinho, both with 17 goals each.

Eternal idol and one of the greatest figures of Huracán and Racing in the decades Between 1940 and 1950, Méndez managed to achieve his record in three tournaments (1945, 1946 and 1947), winning all three.

On the other hand, the Brazilian Zizinho managed to achieve the feat in six editions. (1942, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1953 and 1957), playing a total of 33 matches and becoming champions of the Copa América in 1949.

More legends on the list

Completing the top 5 are players of the caliber and level of Severino Varela (Uruguay) and Teodoro Fernández (Peru), both with 15 goals. They are followed, with 14 goals each, by Chilean Eduardo Vargas, Peruvian Paolo Guerrero and Uruguayan Héctor Scarone.

List of scorers:

Norberto Mendez – 17 goals
Zizinho – 17 goals
Severino Varela – 15 goals
Teodoro Fernandez – 15 goals
Eduardo Vargas – 14 goals
Hector Scarone (Uruguay) – 14 goals
Paolo Guerrero – 14 goals
Lionel Messi – 13 goals
Gabriel Omar Batistuta – 13 goals

Copa America 2024 for Lionel Messi

Currently Lionel Messi and Argentina have a ticket secured to play the quarter-finals against the Ecuadorian national team, after having qualified for said stage undefeated with a total of 9 points obtained.

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