Lionel Messi wins his first international trophy: Key stats
Lionel Messi lifted his first international trophy of his career as Argentina won Copa America after defeating Brazil 1-0 on Saturday. A splendid goal from Angel Di Maria in the 22nd minute helped Argentina win the South American championship. Meanwhile, the former finally ended his quest for a major trophy after having claimed several laurels in club football. Here are the key stats.
Messi has won his first international trophy after making his debut at this stage in 2006. This was his 10th senior international tournament. World Cup: 2006 (quarter-final), 2010 (quarter-final), 2014 (runners-up), 2018 (last 16). Copa America: 2007 (runners-up), 2011 (quarter-final), 2015 (runners-up), 2016 (runners-up), 2019 (semi-final), 2021 (winners). Notably, Messi played his 34th match at Copa America (19 at World Cup).
It is a coincidence that two of the best players in this generation won their first international trophies on the same date. Five years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo won his maiden senior international trophy as Portugal won the 2016 Euros (July 10, 2016).
10/07/2016: Cristiano Ronaldo wins the first senior international trophy of his career
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 11, 2021
10/07/2021: Lionel Messi wins the first senior international trophy of his career
🔟 🤝 7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/7Ndy9XLkfE
Although Messi failed to score in the final against Brazil, he was named the Player of the Tournament. He finished the tournament as joint-top-scorer (goals) along with Peru's Gianluca Lapadula and Colombia's Luis Diaz. The former also registered most assists (five) in the tournament, most in a single Copa America edition. Meanwhile, Messi also clinched the Golden Boot.
Messi now has 151 appearances for the Argentina senior team. The Argentine legend has racked up 76 goals in these matches (42 in competitive matches and 34 in friendlies). In total, Messi has represented Argentina 174 times (including matches of Under-20 and Under-23 sides).
Besides his sole international trophy, Messi has won 34 club career trophies with Barcelona. The Barca star has helped the club win 10 La Liga honors, four Champions League titles, seven Copa del Reys, seven Spanish Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups, and three UEFA Super Cups. Besides, Messi has also won most Ballon d'Or awards (six).
