There will be plenty of game-changers at the 2024 Copa America, and here at SBOTOP we picked out five of the top names and we resisted the temptation to include the great Lionel Messi in that group.
Why?
Well, to give some other players the limelight I guess, because the 36-year-old Argentine has been in the news for most of his incredible career. And last season was, in some ways, his most impressive.
Messi has won it all after spending 17 years at Barcelona and a couple of seasons at PSG, and now he’s strutting his stuff at Inter Miami.
Despite playing in the MLS and away from the domestic centre of football in Europe, Messi picked up a record eighth Ballon d’Or last year as well as leading Argentina to a World Cup triumph in Qatar in 2022. That pretty much capped Messi’s career as it ended any speculation that he preferred domestic football to international, and his tea-mates saw a difference in the little maestro in Qatar.
He had a fierce determination and steely focus which inspired his teammates, according to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, and that was a new side to the man who always seemed so affable and sometimes a little shy in his earlier years.
He eventually won the World Cup at his fifth attempt, and millions of fans celebrated for days back in his homeland. And that victory, coupled with Messi’s impressive form in the MLS with Miami, handed him the Ballon d’Or.
He was back in Paris to pick up the award after beating off competition from Erling Haaland, and his old PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, who was in the France team beaten by Argentina in the World Cup final.
He seems to have the eye of the tiger, and Messi is on course to make the Copa this summer. The pre-tournament Copa America 2024 betting odds make Argentina the marginal favourites, with Brazil the other nation head and shoulders above the rest.
Messi’s hunger for more silverware and the supreme quality in the Argentina squad gives him a great chance of more glory.
Messi and Miami have hit the ground running in 2024
Inter Miami have got off to a flying start in the 2024 MLS campaign, and Messi has been at the centre of the action after both he and his team had a relatively quiet preseason. Miami opened the season proper with impressive wins over Real Salt Lake and Orlando City and a draw with a strong LA Galaxy side. Messi has led an attack which has scored eight goals, and Miami have real ambitions of winning the MLS this year.
Co-owner David Beckham has said he was close to tears when he heard that Messi had agreed to join Inter Miami, and he will be hard pressed to hide his emotions if his club does reach the summit. Former Real Madrid star Beckham knew what he was going to get.
As well as his haul of Ballon d’Ors, Messi has also picked up a record six European Golden Shoes and has been named as the world’s best player for a record eight times.
At Barcelona, he won 34 trophies including 10 league titles, seven Copa del Reys, and four Champions League titles. The man is a trophy magnet, and he ended Argentina’s drought by winning the 2021 Copa America before picking up the biggest international prize of all the following year in Qatar.
Messi is also the top La Liga goal scorer of all time with a whopping 474 goals, and he has racked up a total of over 800 strikes for club and country. With a nod to the legendary Pele and Diego Maradona, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi sits alongside the greatest players of all time.
Argentina have some exciting forwards in their squad. Lautaro Martinez has been outstanding for Inter Milan, leading the race for the Golden Boot as they march towards the Scudetto, while Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez is fast becoming one of the top strikers in the Premier League.
But there is no natural successor to Lionel Messi.
I reckon he’ll be there to make his fair share of Copa America 2024 highlights, but will this be Messi’s last dance?
I’m not so sure. He’s already retired from international football before and made a comeback, and he’s three years younger than his old nemesis Ronaldo.
But I believe whenever Messi eventually retires, he’ll still be at the top of his game.
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