COPA AMÉRICA 2024
Argentina possible lineup against Colombia in the 2024 Copa América final
Captain Lionel Messi appears to have overcome a muscular injury and is expected to start for Lionel Scaloni’s side.
Argentina are on the brink of a third consecutive major international trophy and boast a full-strength squad ahead of Sunday’s Copa América final against Colombia.
Lionel Scaloni’s side have made it through to the final with minimal fuss, although they needed a penalty shootout victory over Ecuador to ease past Félix Sánchez’s side in the quarter-finals. Argentina will be narrow favourites going into the Colombia clash but they take on one of international soccer’s most in-form teams, having not lost a single game in two years under head coach Néstor Lorenzo.
Live: Argentina - Colombia | Copa América final
The Argentina boss has made relatively few changes to his team throughout the tournament and sticks with the same formula for the final...
What is Lionel Messi’s record with Argentina?
Last month, just after Argentina’s opening night victory over Canada, Lionel Messi celebrated his 37th birthday with his Argentinian teammates. Messi has now been a part of the national team for 19 years and has experienced the highs and lows of international soccer.
First, the lows. During the first 15 years with Argentina Messi played in four major tournament finals - three Copa Américas, one World Cup - and lost them all. The last of those heartbreaks came in the 2016 Copa América, in which Messi missed a spot kick in the penalty shootout loss and subsequently announced his retirement from the national team.
Fortunately, two months later he reversed that decision and he would go on to experience the highest of highs. His first international triumph came in the 2021 Copa América, a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final. The following year came his crowning glory with the national team, scoring seven goals and winning the Golden Ball as Argentina lifted the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Since making his debut as an 18-year-old against Hungary, Lionel Messi has racked up 186 international appearances and 109 goals, both of which are a record for the Argentinian national team. Whether or not he lifts a third successive title on Sunday, Messi’s place in the pantheon of international soccer greats is beyond any doubts.