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Argentina triumphed at Copa America 2021 to end a long 28-year trophy drought. Their last international trophy had also come at the Copa America - in the 1993 edition of the competition.
The Albiceleste have been close to winning an international trophy in recent years. The 2014 FIFA World Cup was a good opportunity to do so, but Mario Gotze's strike in the final - the only goal of the game - thwarted Argentina.
Argentina tasted defeat in four Copa America finals before their triumph this year. Their two most recent ones came in 2015 and 2016, both against Chile. The last of those two setbacks forced captain Lionel Messi to announce his retirement from international football, a decision he would soon rescind.
Five years later, Lionel Messi led from the front to help Argentina triumph at Copa America 2021.
Argentina looked determined right from the start, and they displayed consistency throughout the tournament. Along the way, Lionel Scaloni's men also achieved numerous records and milestones. On that note, let's have a look at the top five records broken or achieved by Argentina at Copa America 2021.
#5 Most assists in a single Copa America tournament - Lionel Messi (5)
Argentina captain Lionel Messi was on cloud nine after winning his first-ever silverware with his country. Thanks to Angel Di Maria's 22nd-minute opener, the only goal of the game, Argentina beat their arch-rivals Brazil to win the tournament.
Lionel Messi did not score or assist in the final, but he had a truly standout tournament. By providing an assist to Lautaro Martinez in Argentina's semi-final against Colombia, Messi became the only player in the history of the Copa America to register five assists in a single edition of the competition.
#4 Joint most appearances in Copa America history - Lionel Messi (34)
Lionel Messi's first Copa America appearance was back in 2007, when the player had just turned 20. Since then, Messi has featured for his country in five other editions of the Copa: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 - a record by any player in competition history.
The Argentine has played 34 games across six different Copa America tournaments. By appearing in the final against Brazil, Messi matched the record for most Copa America appearances (34), a record previously held by Chile's Sergio Livingstone.
It remains to be seen if Messi surpasses Livingstone by playing another Copa game.
#3 Argentina moved level with Uruguay for most Copa America titles (15)
Argentina's 28-year-old trophy drought ended with their 2021 Copa America victory. The Albiceleste last won the tournament back in 1993, beating Mexico in the final.
By beating arch-rivals Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final at the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Argentina moved level with Uruguay (15) for most titles in competition history.
Argentina have also ended up as runners-up at the Copa America on a record 14 occasions, compared to six for Uruguay.
#2 Emiliano Martinez became the first Argentina goalkeeper to win the Golden Glove Award
Words cannot do full justice while describing Emiliano Martinez's achievements during the tournament.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper was one of the key performers in Argentina's triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign. Martinez conceded only two goals all tournament, keeping four clean sheets, one of them coming against Brazil in the final.
His best outing was against Columbia in the semi-final, where the Aston Villa custodian saved three penalties to book Argentina's berth in the final. He was subsequently adjudged the best Goalkeeper of the Tournament and won the Golden Glove award, becoming the first Argentine to do so.
#1 First player to win the Copa America, register the most goals and assists, and win the Golden Ball - Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi was a standout player at Copa America 2021. Argentina won their 15th Copa America title - their first in 28-years - by riding on the exploits of their captain.
The Argentina captain started off his campaign with a brilliant free-kick goal in his team's tournament opener against Chile. He went on to score three more in the competition to end Copa America 2021 as the tournament's joint-top scorer, along with Colombia's Luis Diaz.
Thanks to his five assists during the tournament, Messi won the Golden Boot and the Best Player Award, contributing to nine of Argentina's 12 goals at Copa America 2021.
Messi is now the only player to bag the Copa America trophy, score the most goals, register the most assists and win the Golden Boot in a single edition of the competition.
Also Check Out: Argentina Squad for Copa America
