Copa America 2021 - Top 5 records achieved by Argentina
Argentina triumphed at Copa America 2021 to end a long 28-year trophy drought. Their last international trophy had also come at the Copa America - in the 1993 edition of the competition.
The Albiceleste have been close to winning an international trophy in recent years. The 2014 FIFA World Cup was a good opportunity to do so, but Mario Gotze's strike in the final - the only goal of the game - thwarted Argentina.
Argentina tasted defeat in four Copa America finals before their triumph this year. Their two most recent ones came in 2015 and 2016, both against Chile. The last of those two setbacks forced captain Lionel Messi to announce his retirement from international football, a decision he would soon rescind.
Five years later, Lionel Messi led from the front to help Argentina triumph at Copa America 2021.
Argentina looked determined right from the start, and they displayed consistency throughout the tournament. Along the way, Lionel Scaloni's men also achieved numerous records and milestones. On that note, let's have a look at the top five records broken or achieved by Argentina at Copa America 2021.
#5 Most assists in a single Copa America tournament - Lionel Messi (5)
Argentina captain Lionel Messi was on cloud nine after winning his first-ever silverware with his country. Thanks to Angel Di Maria's 22nd-minute opener, the only goal of the game, Argentina beat their arch-rivals Brazil to win the tournament.
Lionel Messi did not score or assist in the final, but he had a truly standout tournament. By providing an assist to Lautaro Martinez in Argentina's semi-final against Colombia, Messi became the only player in the history of the Copa America to register five assists in a single edition of the competition.
#4 Joint most appearances in Copa America history - Lionel Messi (34)
Lionel Messi's first Copa America appearance was back in 2007, when the player had just turned 20. Since then, Messi has featured for his country in five other editions of the Copa: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 - a record by any player in competition history.
The Argentine has played 34 games across six different Copa America tournaments. By appearing in the final against Brazil, Messi matched the record for most Copa America appearances (34), a record previously held by Chile's Sergio Livingstone.
It remains to be seen if Messi surpasses Livingstone by playing another Copa game.