Lionel Messi became Argentina’s all-time record goalscorer as the two-time world champions outclassed the United States 4-0 to reach the Copa America Centenario final here Tuesday.
Messi curled in a magnificent 32nd-minute free-kick to take his total to 55 goals as the United States’ campaign ended with an emphatic defeat in front of a 70,858 crowd at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
The five-time world player of the year now has five goals in this Copa America as he aims to lead Argentina to their first major title in 23 years.
Here, we look at each of the top-ten players on that stellar all-time Argentina goal-scorers list.
LIONEL MESSI (2005-present)
112 Caps, 55 Goals
With five Ballon D’Ors to his name, there is no doubt that Lionel Messi is the greatest player in football right now. Blessed with bounds of ability and pace, Messi continues to light up the world both for FC Barcelona and the Argentina international team.77 Caps, 54 Goals Nicknamed “Batigol” due to his proficiency in front of goal, Batistuta became the first player to score a hat-trick in two World Cups. As well as being amongst the top 10 scorers for Argentina, he also still holds the record for most club goals scored for Fiorentina, in which he scored 168 goals in 269 appearances.
64 Caps, 35 Goals Known to score many acrobatic goals, Hernan Crespo is still regarded as one of the best strikers to have played for Argentina. Crespo might have been known for his form in front of goal, but another outstanding fact is that he never received a red card ever in his playing career. DIEGO MARADONA (1977–1994)
91 Caps, 34 Goals Defined as the classic number 10, Maradona showed the Argentina faithful his full range of abilities and his knack for scoring outstanding goals. Maradona had scored what was later dubbed the “Goal of the Century” against England in the 1986 World Cup. After bamboozling through five England players, Maradona scored the winner, with Argentina winning 2-1 on the night.
76 Caps, 33 Goals This sensational forward has it all, passing ability, instinctive finishing and skills galore; Sergio Aguero is a player that always has something up his sleeve. The striker scored his first International hat-trick against Bolivia and has been hitting the back of the net ever since.
62 Caps, 30 Goals After breaking a goal scoring record for Napoli in the 2015-2016 season, Higuain has a hardworking mentality and pace to complement that. With Aguero in front of him in the pecking order, Higuain hasn’t let that affect his game when playing for Argentina, scoring some vital goals along the way. LUIS ARTIME (1961–1967)
25 Caps, 24 Goals Statistically speaking, Luis Artime is the most prolific goalscorer that Argentina have had, with a strike rate of 0.96 goals per game. He also finished top scorer at the 1976 South American Championship. DANIEL PASSARELLA (1976–1986)
70 Caps, 23 Goals Passarella, who didn’t feature in the 1986 World Cup, contributed to the goal against Peru in the qualifying rounds, which ensured that Argentina qualified. He captained the side that won the 1978 World Cup, lifting the trophy for the first time.
45 Caps, 22 Goals Luque won the World Cup with Argentina in 1978, contributing four goals in the process, with a long distance volley against France standing out amongst the rest. He was also top scorer in the Copa America back in 1975. JOSÉ SANFILIPPO (1956–1962)
29 Caps, 22 Goals With his last appearance for Argentina in the 1962 World Cup, in which England finished ahead of Argentina in their group due to goal difference, Sanfilippo scored one goal in that tournament before retiring from international football.
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