The 2021 edition of the Copa America is underway, and Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Colombia are the four semi-finalists vying for the top prize.
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Argentina’s Lionel Messi has been the standout performer in the competition with four goals and has also provided as many assists. Interestingly, it must be mentioned that Messi has never won the Golden Boot award at Copa America.
Messi needs four more goals to equal Norbeto Mendez (Agrentina) and Zizinho (Brazil)’s tally of 17 goals each, who are the all-time top scorers at Copa America.
He started the 2021 edition of the tournament in style with a gem of a free-kick against Chile before adding a couple against Bolivia in their last group game. In the quarterfinal against Ecuador, Messi was in sublime form as he provided two assists and scored at the death from a free-kick.© Provided by Goal Neymar Brazil Copa America 2021
Which players in the race for the Copa America Golden Boot?
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Messi is the only player with four goals to his name. There are 10 players who have scored twice in this competition however, only five are still in contention with their teams being in the semis.
| PLAYER | TEAM | GOALS |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 4 |
| Papu Gomez | Argentina | 2 |
| Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | 2 |
| Andre Carillo | Peru | 2 |
| Gianluca Lapadula | Peru | 2 |
| Neymar | Brazil | 2 |
The other players who have scored two goals are: Erwin Saavedra (Bolivia), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) Ángel Romero (Paraguay), Ayrton Preciado (Ecuador) and Eduardo Vargas (Chile)