The Argentine team prepares to defend its Copa América title on the morning of June 21, playing the opening match against Canada, in which Lionel Messi broke his own record in his seventh participation in the long-running South American tournament.
The Copa América soccer festival is about to begin in the United States with defending champion Argentina taking the lead by facing Canada in the opening match of Group A (K+ live at 7, June 21), and Lionel Messi is the main protagonist. character as usual.
Wait until you see Messi beat his own record
Coach Scaloni ensured that Argentine star Lionel Messi continued his stellar performance, marking the seventh time Messi has broken his own record. This comes shortly after Cristiano Ronaldo set a new benchmark by participating in six consecutive Euro Cups in Germany.
In 2021, Messi led Argentina to a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Copa América final, securing the title for the first time since 1993. Just over a year later, he added the World Cup championship to his accolades. Since their triumph over France in December 2022, the Albiceleste have been in exceptional form, losing only once in 14 matches across all competitions and winning the remaining 13.
Messi will lead Argentina to win the Copa América for the second consecutive time. Photo: GETTY.
Messi broke his own record for most all-time appearances in the Copa América when he participated in this tournament and said he expected to face a tough challenge to defend the trophy. Messi said: “Argentina has always been the favorite for the championship. But I think this is a very exciting tournament because the national teams are getting better and better.
Currently Argentina is the strongest team because we won the World Cup, but the Copa América will be very difficult. The games will be even and we are aware that we will have to continue doing the same and more to win again. “We will try to win the Copa América again, but remember that not everything is easy.”
Meanwhile, the Canadian team appeared for the first time in the Copa América after qualifying for the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. They failed to advance past the group stage when they returned to the world stage in Qatar two years ago, but now, under new coach Jesse Marsch, Canada is looking to make a good impression before co-hosting the World Cup next year. .
Playing in the opening match against Canada on the morning of June 21, Messi broke his own record for most appearances. Photo: GETTY.
Canada just earned an encouraging 0-0 draw against France in their most recent warm-up match with hopes that a team of stars like Alphonso Davies, Stephen Eustaquio and Jonathan David can compete in Group A. Argentina also has Chile and Peru.
Looking ahead to the current Copa América and the world champions, coach Marsch is confident that he has a plan to deal with the danger that Messi’s Argentina represents. Marsch said: “We are very excited about this tournament and the opening match against Argentina is a great challenge. We are not afraid of encountering the quality and class of Argentina. The Canadian team has carefully prepared everything to surprise Argentina. Certainly, Messi is still an important part of them.”
Messi’s remarkable numbers
Messi is the top scorer of the Copa América 2021, with 4 shots on goal he leads the standings along with Colombian Luis Díaz. The great Inter Miami player will appear again in this tournament and will participate in the race for the Golden Boot of the Copa América 2024.
Messi and his Argentina teammates are the defending champions of the Copa América. Photo: GETTY.
Not only did Messi win the title of top scorer of the 2021 Cup, he was also the best assistant and 18 months later, he led Argentina to World Cup glory, scoring 7 goals in the process, just shy of the trophy of Mbappé’s gold shoes. He has 8 goals in Qatar.
Playing for Argentina in the opening match on the morning of June 21, Messi will become the all-time Copa América record holder for number of appearances (34), equaling Chilean Sergio Livingstone. The Argentine star scored 13 goals in the Copa América, placing him in seventh place on the all-time scoring list, along with his compatriot Gabriel Batistuta.
If Messi manages to repeat his four goals from the 2021 edition, he will join Norberto Méndez and Zizinho at the top of the all-time rankings. In the 2011 season, Messi took 102 shots, more than any other player.
The Argentine star is the top candidate for the Copa América top scorer award. Photo: GETTY.
No one doubts Messi’s genius, and the diminutive superstar magician will surely arrive in fine form for his final Copa América, having scored 12 goals for Inter Miami this season, averaging a goal every 86 minutes.
Argentina is the Opta supercomputer’s favorite to win the Cup, and group matches against Canada, Chile and Peru could give Messi a good starting point to win the Golden Boot again.
