Merahputih.com – Lionel Messi has just broken the record for the greatest number of Copa America selections. This record was broken after Messi helped Argentina beat Canada 2-0 in the opening match of the 48th edition of the Copa America 2024 for the United States at Mercedez-Benz Stadium, Georgia.
According to the official Copa America website, this match was Messi’s 35th appearance in seven editions of the Copa America tournament, which also broke the record of historic Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone in 1953.
Messi made his Copa América debut at the age of 20 when he was called up by coach Alfio Basile. In the following edition, Messi participated in the Copa America with three coaches, namely Sergio Batista (2011), Gerardo Martino (2015 and 2016) and Lionel Scaloni (2019, 2021 and 2024).
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In the six editions it has previously participated in, La Pulga won a title in the 2021 edition, was runner-up three times in 2007, 2015 and 2016, third in 2019 and reached the quarter-finals in 2011 .
Over the six editions, his best goal record dates back to the 2016 edition where he scored five goals in five matches. Meanwhile, the second best record was in the 2021 edition when his four goals in seven matches took Argentina to 15th place.
In the match against Canada, marking his 35th appearance, Messi played the entire match with some pretty impressive records, including an assist on Lautaro’s goal in the final minutes. He took six shots (more than any other player in the match), including four inside the box and three on target.
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Messi also completed nine touches in the box and created two scoring chances. He won the ball twice in the final third and won possession three times against Canada.
Another stat that made the 36-year-old the best in the game was his passes into the final third where he completed 27 of Argentina’s 132. This score was followed by Di María and De Paul with 18 each.
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