ARGUABLY the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Andreas Messi has again led Argentina to lift their fourth consecutive trophy in four years.
With Monday, July 15, victory against Columbia in the US city of Miami, Argentina has now lifted a record 16th Copa America title.
Argentina and Uruguay were initially tied with 15 Copa titles each going into the match, followed by Brazil with nine.
Although there was apprehension early in the second half of the final game, after Messi picked up an injury and was substituted for Nico Gonzales, the Argentina fans had the last laugh when Lautaro Martinez found the back of the net.
Martinez, the tournament’s top scorer, received the ball from Giovani Lo Celso and lifted it over the Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas in the 112th minute.
More than 60,000 fans inside Miami Hard Rock Stadium showed overwhelming support for both teams, with most fans dressed in the teams’ trademark white, sky blue, yellow, blue, and red uniforms.
Earlier, the match was delayed by more than an hour after thousands of fans without tickets tried to enter the stadium.
Photos and videos posted online from outside the stadium revealed overcrowding, with children visibly among the thousands of fans stuck outside the gates.
Meanwhile, the result marks the first back-to-back Copa titles for Argentina in recent times.
Colombia has a Copa trophy, which they won in 2001.
Argentina’s latest title comes at the heel of their triumphs at the 2022 World Cup against the former World Champion, France.
The South American country had lost in the 2014 World Cup final when Germany scored in extra time to defeat them 1-0.
Messi is expected to lead his team again to the Finalissima, which will be played against a rising Spain team led by 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal.
The wonderkid, ahead of the finals, had told RAC1 that he hoped that his side win the Euro 2024 final against England in Berlin and Lionel Messi’s Argentina triumph against Colombia in the Copa America final so that he could compete against Messi in the Finalissima.
The Finalissima is a one-off game arranged by CONMEBOL and UEFA, pitting the reigning Copa America winners against the reigning Euro winners.
The competition, previously known as the European/South American Nations Cup, was held twice in 1985 and 1993 before being discontinued. It was relaunched in 2022 in which Argentina beat European champions Italy 3-0.
The 2022 Finalissima was played on June 1, with the next edition likely taking place in the summer of 2025.
Record 45 trophies for Lionel Messi
With the latest victory against Colombia, Lionel Messi on Monday became the most decorated player in football history with 45 trophies.
The Copa America title victory elevated Messi to a historic 45 trophies with both club and country, surpassing the previous record held by Brazil’s Dani Alves (44).
The triumph also marked Messi’s fourth international trophy, as 35 of his 45 trophies came while he played for FC Barcelona.
The 2004/05 Liga title was his first for Barcelona, with the last being the Copa del Rey in the 2020/21 season. The long list includes four Champions League wins (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015).
Messi has won 10 Ligas, seven Copas del Rey, eight Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups, and three World Club Championships.
Away from Barcelona, he won three trophies with Paris Saint-German (PSG) one with Inter Miami and six in total with Argentina.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M