Copa América Team of the Tournament: Messi impresses but James the star man
Argentina, who were crowned champions by beating Colombia 1-0 in extra time, are the team that have the most players in our best XI. To put it together, we used the average scores of each player in Flashscore's rating system, having played a minimum of three games. This is the team we ended up with:
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina) - 7.5
As he was in their World Cup triumph, Martinez was Argentina's hero when they were taken to penalties, saving two in their shootout against Ecuador.
He produced an excellent performance in the final too, keeping out all four of Colombia's shots on goal to play a big part in his nation's successful defence of their crown.
Defence
Jon Aramburu (Venezuela) - 7.9
While some of his Real Sociedad teammates dazzled at Euro 2024, Aramburu did the same in his nation's continental competition in the three matches he played.
The young right-back set up a goal in two of those three games and was excellent defensively in the other (against Mexico), making nine tackles and winning 11 of 14 ground duels.
Ronald Araujo (Uruguay) - 7.7
A serious injury he picked up in the quarter-final against Brazil, one that will keep him out for four months, overshadowed what had been an excellent tournament for Araujo.
Cristian Romero (Argentina) - 7.7
Argentina conceded just one goal in the entire tournament, and Romero played a big part in ensuring they lifted the trophy with five clean sheets to their name.
The Tottenham man was rock-solid at the back from the first game to the last and wasn't hampered by poor discipline as he has been in the past.
Matias Vina (Uruguay) - 7.4
Vina makes our XI largely because of his stunning performance in Uruguay's opening match against Panama, in which he set up the opening goal and scored the third himself.
Midfield
Richard Rios (Colombia) - 7.5
Heading into the tournament on the back of a strong season in Brazil, Rios thrived as Colombia's midfield enforcer during their run to the final.
His best performance came arguably in the final, during which he made four tackles and two key passes. He also impressed against Paraguay and scored against Panama.
Luis Romo (Mexico) - 7.6
In what was a hugely disappointing campaign for Mexico, Romo was one of the few positives at the heart of midfield.
After coming off the bench to get an assist in the opening game, he started the next two matches and dictated play well in the absence of the injured Edson Alvarez.
James Rodriguez (Colombia) - 8.0
Undoubtedly the star of the tournament, James was at his glorious best throughout the tournament as he broke the record for the number of assists in a single Copa América.
As well as creating six goals, he also scored one and averaged just over three key passes per game. Unsurprisingly, he was named the official player of the tournament and is ours too, boasting a higher average rating than anyone.
Forwards
Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 7.5
He wasn't quite at his best, but when you're the greatest player of all time, a little below your best is still pretty damn good.
Messi dazzled in the group stages, making six key passes against Canada and five against Chile, and while things went downhill after that as he missed a penalty in the quarter-final and went off injured in the final, he showed that he remains one of the world's best.
Salomon Rondon (Venezuela) - 7.9
He may have been beaten to the Golden Boot by Lautaro Martinez, but Rondon can take some consolation in that he got a higher rating in our system, with the Argentine only receiving a 7.2 average.
Rondon deserves his place in our team thanks to his four goals in four games and all-around excellent forward play. He couldn't have led the line much better for his nation.
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) - 7.5
It was undoubtedly a tournament to forget for Brazil and for Vinicius, but he makes it into our team thanks to his sublime performance against Paraguay, during which he got two goals and created a number of other chances.
