2024-07-18 14:51:46
Argentina will play Colombia on Sunday in a match that will further mark their place in football history. If they win the 2024 Copa América in Miami, Lionel Messi’s Albiceleste will be able to put the finishing touch to a successful era with the so-called Triple Crown.
This is the name given to the fact that two consecutive continental trophies have been won, with a World Cup in between. A feat that only one team has achieved so far: the Spain of Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas and company, who astonished the world by winning Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012.
Lionel Scaloni’s team could be next after winning the 2021 Copa América in Brazil and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A perfect challenge for a team that has become accustomed to glory after almost three decades of disappointment.
In his own discreet and diligent way, the coach has been silencing doubts about his selection, when many considered him too inexperienced to lead Argentina after the failure of Russia-2018.
His first major tournament in charge of the team, the Copa América in Brazil in 2019, showed that he could be a good coach, although few imagined the successes to come.
After that competition, in which they were eliminated in the semi-finals, Argentina went 36 games without defeat, between July 2, 2019 and November 22, 2022, being just one game away from Italy’s absolute unbeaten record (37).
A brilliant period in which they won the continental trophy in Brazil in 2021 by beating the host country 1-0 in the final at the Maracaná, breaking a 28-year drought in international titles since the Copa América in Ecuador in 1993.
– An unstoppable team –
Among Scaloni’s greatest achievements is his ability to empower Lionel Messi. The number 10, always a star at FC Barcelona, had not managed to fly so high with his country until then.
But the coach knew how to renew the team and surround his captain with important players such as Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo De Paul or Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez, as well as keeping veterans such as Ángel Di María or Nicolás Otamendi.
The formula worked and ‘La Scaloneta’ became unstoppable. A year after winning the 2021 Copa América, Argentina reached world glory in Qatar, unleashing the madness of its fans by beating France in the final on penalties.
Now the Albiceleste team has the chance to increase its glory. In the United States it did not show its best form, but it managed to overcome all the obstacles and show that the label of favourite did not weigh too much on it.
The team has more than enough talent to give Colombia a hard time, starting with Messi, who comes into the final with confidence after scoring his first goal in this edition on Tuesday against Canada.
And against a Colombia that has only won the continental tournament once, in 2001, Argentina will also have the advantage of experience.
On Sunday, the team will play at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to become the team with the most Copa América titles. At the moment, it leads the ranking of continental titles with 15 trophies, along with Uruguay.
© Agence France-Presse
