Nicosia (AFP)
For more than a century, Copa America has hosted the most prominent scorers in South America. Who are the best scorers in the history of their participation in the continental championship?
Argentine Norberto Mendes (17 goals)
Mendes, nicknamed “Tocho,” was one of the most prominent talents of his generation. He led “Alpe Celeste” to an unprecedented hat-trick between 1945 and 1947. He was the top scorer in the 1945 edition, equal to Brazilian Heleno de Freitas (6 goals), and one of the rare players to score a hat-trick. In the Brazil-Argentina match, he also achieved it in 1945.
Brazilian Zizinho (17)
One of the most prominent scorers in the history of the tournament was a midfielder. The former Flamengo, Banjo and Sao Paulo player scored goals in six editions, starting from 1942 until 1957, the most notable of which was his scoring a quadruple against Chile in 1946. He won the title in 1949.
Peruvian Teodoro “Lolo” Fernandez (15) was a top scorer and champion during his country’s first coronation in 1939. It was his fourth participation in the finals out of seven. About half of his goals (7) he scored in that edition, he added two hat-tricks against Ecuador, and important goals against the Brazilian and Argentina.
Uruguayan Ceferino Varela (15)
Varela was not the best scorer in a single edition of Copa America, but he showed constant effectiveness, scoring five goals in each edition he played in 1937, 1939 and 1942, winning the title with “Celeste” in the last edition.
Chilean Eduardo Vargas (14)
He is a member of Chile’s last golden generation, in 2015 and 2016, where he was the top scorer (4 and 6 goals in a row). He participated in four editions, and is considered one of the most prominent players in his country’s history.
Peruvian Paulo Guerrero (14)
One of the most famous athletes in his country. He was the best scorer in three editions in 2011, 2015 and 2019. The 40-year-old in 2024 has the chance to become the best scorer in the history of the competition.
Argentine Lionel Messi (13)
In the first five editions he played, Messi scored two goals in 2007, one in 2015, five in 2016 and one in 2019, and he did not know the goal in 2011. But his determination found his way to glory in 2021 in Brazil, when he shared the scorers list with Colombian Luis Diaz. (4), and won the continental title for the first time in his prosperous career.
13 goals were also scored by the Brazilians Ademir and Jair, the Argentines Gabriel Batistuta and Jose Manuel Moreno, and the Uruguayan Hector Scaroni.
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