Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player of all time, but he’s still got a few players to leapfrog in the all-time Copa America top scorers list.
Copa America is one of the most prestigious international tournaments around and Messi will be hoping to win it with Argentina once again later this year.
We’ve taken a closer look at the 10 players with the most goals in Copa America history to see where Messi currently ranks.
=7. Hector Scarone – 13 goals
The former Uruguay forward won Copa America on four separate occasions from 1917 to 1926. He scored five goals in a single match in the 1926 tournament and has also won one Copa America Golden Boot.
=7. Jose Manuel Moreno – 13 goals
Nicknamed ‘El Charro’, Moreno was an Argentine inside forward who knew how to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
Along with winning the Golden Boot in 1942, he also holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in Copa America history, as he bagged three goals against Ecuador in a 10-minute window.
=7. Jair – 13 goals
Jair scored the bulk of his goals in 1949 as he won the Golden Boot with nine strikes.
No player in the history of Copa America has ever scored more than nine goals in a single tournament which emphasises how impressive Jair was that year.
=7. Gabriel Batistuta – 13 goals
A two-time Copa America Golden Boot winner for Argentina, Batistuta was absolutely lethal back in the early nineties. He won back-to-back tournaments in 1991 and 1993 and often popped up when it mattered.
=7. Ademir – 13 goals
The Brazilian forward won the Player of the Tournament award for his efforts in 1949 which saw Brazil being crowned champions of South America.
In total, Ademir scored 32 goals for Brazil across 39 matches with 13 of those strikes being in Copa America. That sort of scoring record isn’t to be sniffed at.
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=7. Lionel Messi – 13 goals
Messi ranks alongside some elite company who have also scored 13 goals at Copa America. The Inter Miami playmaker has the chance to add to his tally later this year and with the form he’s currently in, we’d fancy him to boost up those numbers.
The 36-year-old already holds the record for the most assists in Copa America history, but he’s still got quite a few names to overtake in order to become the top scorer.
He’ll no doubt have his eye on a few records this summer.
READ: 7 unbelievable Copa America records that Lionel Messi can break in 2024
=5. Eduardo Vargas – 14 goals
Still going strong at 34, Vargas will also get the chance to add to his tally this summer. He’s already won two Copa America Top Scorer awards and he’s also the highest-scoring Chilean player in the competition’s history.
=5. Paolo Guerrero – 14 goals
The former Bayern Munich forward boasts a tremendous record in Copa America with 14 goals in 25 appearances. He came close to winning it on a few occasions, but never got over the line with Peru.
He scored in the 2019 final but ended up losing to Brazil and he finished as a semi-finalist in 2011 and 2015.
=3. Severino Varela – 15 goals
Having outscored the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, Varela is Uruguay’s all-time top scorer at Copa America with an impressive 15 goals to his name.
He won the tournament with Uruguay back in 1942 and was named the Player of the Tournament for his impact that year.
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every team to win the Copa America?
=3. Lolo Fernandez – 15 goals
A Copa America champion with Peru in 1939, Fernandez also ranks among the top scores in the history of the competition with 15 goals to his name.
=1. Zizinho – 17 goals
The former Brazilian star is the joint-top goalscorer in Copa America history with 17 goals. Impressively, he featured in six separate Copa America tournaments from 1942 to 1957 and racked up 33 appearances in that time.
He managed to get his hands on the trophy too, winning it in 1949 against Paraguay in the final.
=1. Norberto Mendez – 17 goals
A three-time Copa America champion with Argentina, Mendez is joint top with Zizinho as the record scorer in the history of the competition.
Mendez won the Golden Boot for his efforts in 1945 and his record of 17 goals still stands strong to this day.
