Redemption for Messi: Argentina lifts Copa America after 28 long years

Believe it or not, Argentina has won its first international title in 28 years after Lionel Messi’s team beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final on Sunday (July 11).

Again, believe it or not, it’s also Messi’s first major international trophy.

Argentina hasn’t won a major title since 1993 when it won Copa America. Argentina’s winning goal at the globally famed Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro came in the 22nd minute when Ángel di Maria cheekily scored on a long pass by Rodrigo de Paul.

Messi hasn’t found success with his national team despite making it to the finals on three separate occasions (2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015, 2016 Copa America), and finally he had it on Saturday.

Messi also broke the team’s record for international appearances with 151 matches. When the referee blew the final whistle, Messi knelt down on the pitch and shed tears, sending Argentinian fans across the world to delirium.

Messi and Neymar picked best players

Messi and Neymar were picked as the two best players of Copa America. “It is not possible to choose only one (best) player because this tournament has two of them,” CONMEBOL said in a statement.

Messi scored four goals and five assists in six matches while had two goals to his credit and three assists in five games.

CONMEBOLs technical study group added that the players had a positive impact on their teams and were “the reflection of the South American DNA in every match they played”.

(With Agency inputs)