Lionel Messi has earned just about every domestic and international trophy throughout his illustrious career, but has he won the Copa America?
Messi’s trophy case is full of titles from his time at Barcelona, PSG, and Inter Miami. From 4 Champions League trophies to league titles in both Spain and France, Messi is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of sport. Of course, he also has a number of individual accolades, including eight Ballon d’Or awards.
Despite Messi’s domestic success, his quest for Argentina trophies always proved much more difficult. Messi and Argentina lost three straight finals in a row, once to Germany in the 2014 World Cup and then twice to Chile in back-to-back Copa America tournaments.
In 2021, Messi found himself in yet another Copa America final, but this time, the end result finally went in his favor.
Yes, Messi won the 2021 Copa America. Argentina defeated Brazil in the Copa America final 1-0 after an early goal from Ángel Di María. As Argentina’s captain, Messi finally hoisted the Copa America trophy, earning his first major international trophy.
Messi also won the Golden Boot and the Copa America Best Player award for his efforts in the 2021 tournament. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner tallied four goals and five assists throughout the competition, playing a significant role in nine of Argentina’s 12 total goals.
Just one year later at the 2022 World Cup, Messi proved the 2021 Copa America win was anything but a fluke.
Here’s all the trophies Messi’s won for Argentina so far:
After Messi won the U-20 World Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal, he did not win another trophy for Argentina for 13 years. In the wake of the 2021 Copa America win, Messi told ESPN, “I have peace of mind of having achieved the dream that has been denied to me so many times.”
Except Messi’s international dominance did not end in 2021. He led Argentina to victory against Italy to win the Finalissima, and then secured the biggest trophy in soccer just several months later against France in the World Cup final.
