Lionel Messi won his first piece of international silverware as Argentina claimed the Copa America 2021 title with a 1-0 win over arch-rivals Brazil.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner, who scored four goals in the competition, won the Golden Boot award by registering more assists than Colombia's Luis Diaz, who also scored four goals. Messi's former Barcelona teammate, Neymar, is one of 10 players to have netted two goals in the competition so far.
Copa America 2021 top-scorers
| Player | Nationality | Goals |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 4 |
| Luis Diaz | Colombia | 4 |
| Gianluca Lapadula | Peru | 3 |
| Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | 3 |
| Neymar | Brazil | 2 |
Most goals in one Copa America edition
Despite scoring four times in the 2021 edition, Messi is still a long way behind when it comes to equalling the tally for most goals scored in one Copa America edition. The likes of Javier Ambrois of Uruguay, Humberto Maschio of Argentina and Jair da Costa of Brazil hold the joint record for most goals scored in a single Copa America edition having netted nine times each. Ambrois and Maschio did it in 1957 while Jair achieved the feat in 1949.
Most goals in Copa America history
As far as the all-time history of the competition goes, it is Argentina midfielder Norberto Mendez who has scored the most number of goals in the Copa America. A winner of three Copa America championships (1945, 1946 and 1947), Mendez scored 17 goals during his 11-year career with the Argentine national team.
Lining up alongside Norberto Mendez is Brazil’s former attacking midfielder Zizinho, who has scored 17 goals in the competition too. Messi, meanwhile, has now scored 13 goals in the history of the competition, which is the joint seventh-best.
| Player | Nationality | Goals |
| Norberto Mendez | Argentina | 17 |
| Zizinho | Brazil | 17 |
| Lolo Fernandez | Peru | 15 |
| Severino Varela | Uruguay | 15 |
| Paolo Guerrero | Peru | 14 |
Featured photo: AFP / Douglas Magno
