With Lionel Messi’s Argentina having qualified for the finals of Copa America 2021, the G.O.A.T of football will be getting another shot at breaking his trophy curse with the national side.
Here, we take a look at 2 records that Lionel Messi can break on Saturday in the finals of Copa America 2021 against Brazil at Rio’s Maracana stadium. Following that, we shall also take a look at the records that Leo has already broken at Copa America 2021.
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Two Records that Lionel Messi can break in the Final
1. Joint most Appearances in Copa America
The current edition of the tournament, will in all likelihood be Lionel Messi’s last ever Copa America and with that, it might be the last time ever that Lionel Messi plays in the oldest National tournament in the world. With an appearance in the final of Copa America 2021 against Brazil, Lionel Messi will have played the joint highest number of matches in the tournament alongside ex-Chilean international Sergio Livingstone, i.e, 34 matches. Before the tournament started, Messi had 27 appearances in the tournament.
2. Most Goals in Copa America
A week or so ago, Cristiano Ronaldo broke Michel Platini’s record to become the highest ever goalscorer in the history of the European Championship, and if Lionel Messi scores 4 goals in the finals against Brazil, he will have achieved a similar feat in the Copa America. Currently, Zizinho of Brazil and Norberto Mendex of Argentina are the joint topscorers in the history of Copa America with 17 goals each. Lionel Messi, having scored 13 goals over 6 editions of the tournament, is just 4 goals short. Looks improbable that Messi will score 4 goals against Brazil in the finals, but afterall he is the best player on earth and so let’s not rule out the possibility.
Three Records that Lionel Messi has already broken at Copa America 2021
1. Most Appearances for Argentina
Lionel Messi has now made the most appearances in the Argentinian jersey, breaking the record of his former Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano. Javier Maschernao held the record of 147 appearances for Argentina. Lionel Messi was on 144 before the commencement of Copa America 2021, and he broke the record after the final group stage match against Bolivia.
2. First Argentine to feature in six Copa Americas
With his participation in Copa America 2021, Lionel Messi has become the first Argentine to play 6 editions of the tournament (2007-2021). Javier Mascherano previously held the record of playing 5 Copa Americas.
3. Most assists provided in a single tournament
Messi has already provided 5 assists in the 6 matches he played in Copa America 2021, which is the highest ever in a single edition of the tournament.
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