After one month of breathtaking football in the United States of America, this special edition of the Copa America finally came to an end with last year’s champions Chile getting the better of Lionel Messi’s Argentina once again in a penalty shoot-out. The heartbreak of another loss in the final led to Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano retiring from international football.
There have been a number of stunning performers and performances in this tournament and not surprisingly, the team of the tournament has a lot of players from the champions, Chile.
Without much ado, let us pick the Copa America Centenario team of the tournament:
Goalkeeper
Winner of the Golden Glove award for the most number of clean sheets in the tournament and the man of the match in the finals, Claudio Bravo captained the Chile side to another Copa America title. The Barcelona goalkeeper was in fine form throughout the tournament and his excellent saves and good handling of crosses in the penalty box played a crucial role in Chile’s triumph.
Bravo was in especially fine form in the final as he pulled off a miraculous save to deny Sergio Aguero and keep the score at 0-0. He also saved a crucial penalty from Lucas Bigila in the penalty shootout.
Bravo narrowly edges out Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina thanks to his superlative performances in the final.
Defenders
Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori might have the reputation of being a bit too rash, but, he combined his aggression with some composed defending putting in some solid defensive displays in the tournament.
Partnering him in the heart of the defence is Gary Medel. Nicknamed the pitbull, the Chilean defender put in a typically dogged performance throughout the tournament with his positioning and tackling skills helping Chile avoid many tricky situations.
In the right-back position, we have Colombian right-back Santiago Arias. Arias always provided an outlet for Colombia on the right-side flank and he also performed his defensive duties admirably. He also put in a man of the match performance in the third-place match against hosts USA.
For the left-back position, we have selected Chilean defender Jean Beausejour. The former Wigan Athletic man put in some tireless displays continuously running up and down the left flank, always providing an attacking option for the champions. Beausejour really stepped up his performances in the crucial games and his best games were in the semi-final and final against Colombia and Argentina respectively.
Midfielders
Although Arturo Vidal missed the semi-final against Colombia due to suspension, the Chilean midfielder showed his class in the finals putting in a typically passionate and accomplished performance. Vidal was one of the star players for Chile in this tournament, and he has been a huge part of Chile’s emergence as a footballing superpower.
Jermain Jones from USA takes his place alongside Vidal in the central midfielder role. The 34-year-old midfielder showed his class and experience in this tournament and he along with Clint Dempsey played a major role in USA's 4th place finish.
Although James Rodriguez did not have as good a tournament as the one he had in FIFA World Cup 2014, the Real Madrid star still showed plenty of glimpses of the ample class he possesses. The Colombian chipped in with two goals in the tournament and he was undoubtedly the star man in the Colombia squad.
Forwards
Alexis Sanchez was at his best for Chile in this tournament and he won the Golden Ball award for his efforts. The Arsenal star worked his socks off in every game for Chile and he was arguably La Roja’s best performer in the tournament.
Eduardo Vargas finished with the Golden Boot award and the striker was in stunning form right throughout the tournament. The highlight of his campaign was undoubtedly against Mexico when he scored an incredible 4 goals.
One of the greatest players of this generation, Lionel Messi had to endure heartbreak once again in the final after losing to Chile. However, the Argentine maestro had an excellent tournament personally, scoring 5 goals and tormenting defences throughout the tournament.
Lionel Messi decided to call time on his international career after the final, but the great man provided some true moments of magic in this tournament.
Let us now take a look at how this amazing team will line up and what formation they will play in, in the next slide:
Formation
The team lines up in a 4-3-3 formation. We have Claudio Bravo in goal followed by the impressive backline consisting of Santiago Arias, Funes Mori, Gary Medel and Jean Beausejour.
The midfield is packed with star quality and it has Arturo Vidal and Jermaine Jones partnering in the centre of the pitch, with James Rodriguez playing in a slightly more attacking role.
The forward line up almost picks itself. We have the Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas on the Left Wing and Striker positions respectively and they are joined by Lionel Messi who takes his customary position on the right-hand flank.
