Argentina won the title of the 48th edition of the Copa America (Copa America 2024) by defeating Colombia in the finals held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, the United States of America (USA).
- Copa America 2024 hosted by the USA was held from 20th June to 14th July 2024.
- This marks Argentina’s 16th title of Copa America. with this, Argentina became the tournament’s most successful team, followed by Uruguay (15) and Brazil (9).
About Copa America 2024:
i.Copa America 2024 is the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship organised by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol)
ii.The 2024 tournament witnessed the participation of 16 teams.
Note: The tournament was started in 1916 as the South American Football Championship and was rebranded as Copa America in 1975
Prize Money:
i. Argentina was awarded a cash prize of USD 16 million (approximately Rs 133.66 crore) while the runners-up Columbia received USD 7 million (approximately Rs 58.47 crore).
ii.All participating teams were awarded USD 2 million each.
Awards and Honours:
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Player of the Match (finals) | Angel Di Maria (Argentina) |
| Golden Ball (Player of the Tournament) | James Rodríguez (Colombia) |
| Golden Boot Award (Tournament’s top scorer) | Lautaro Martinez – 5 goals (Argentina) |
| Golden Glove Award (best goalkeeper of the Tournament) | Emiliano Martinez (Argentina) |
| Fair Play Award | Colombia |
Points to note:
i.This marks Lionel Messi (Argentina) 45th senior trophy. He surpassed Dani Alves (Brazil) as the player with the most number of trophies in football history.
- He has also won the most number of Ballons d’Or (8) and European Golden Boot (8) in history.
ii.This also marks Argentina’s 23rd official title. with this Argentina holds the record in official titles won. As of June 2024, Argentina ranks 1st in the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Men’s World Ranking.
Angel Di Maria Ends International Career with Copa America 2024 Triumph
Argentinean football icon Angel Di Maria(36-year-old), known as “El Fideo”, has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team.
- Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi (36 years old) is set to announce his retirement from the international career following the tournament.
About Angel Di Maria:
i.Angel Di Maria has made significant contributions to Argentina across four World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022), playing a crucial role in the team that reached the final in Brazil in 2014 and also won the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
ii.He was also a part of the team that won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007 and earned a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
iii.In his international career, he played 144 matches and scored 31 goals.
iv.His honors include the 2022 World Cup, a runner-up finish in the 2014 World Cup, the 2021 Copa America, a bronze medal in the 2019 Copa America and a win in the 2022 UEFA Cup of Nations.
