Lionel Messi is used to being No. 1 with Barcelona. Hours before his contract with the club was due to expire, he was getting that kind of feeling while wearing the Argentina shirt at Copa America.
The 34-year-old Messi has some of the best statistics so far at the South American championship. He capped the group stage on Monday with two goals and an assist in Argentina’s 4-1 win over Bolivia.
Messi’s contract with Barcelona ends on June 30 after 17 seasons. The Argentine forward won a record six Balon d’Or awards at the Catalan club, where he’s the all-time leading scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances. But he’s yet to lift a major title with his national team.
Messi leads the Copa America scoring list with three goals in four matches. He gave two assists, as many as Brazil’s Neymar.
Sports data site SofaScore places him on top in the tournament so far in successful dribbles (21), shots on target (10), total duels won (40) and goals from outside of the box (2).