10 Best Players at Copa America 2024 - Standout Stars of South America

Played in the shadow of the Euro 2024, Copa America will always be the second most important continental competition. However, by the levels of excitement it brought, and even by the beauty of gameplay standards - it was leagues above the Euros. These best players at Copa America 2024 have written the most important aspects of the story which no scout missed.

Even the individual exploits of the players at Copa America 2024 have been more memorable than that of those on the Old Continent. A credit to Spain’s team play, perhaps, but more likely an ode to the passion the South Americans put on the international stage. Keeping it a tournament in which the soul of football is still nourished, depicted as well by the most (with a margin) expensively valued side Brazil losing in the quarter-finals already.

Argentina defended their title, won the third major tournament in a row, and righted the wrong of Leo Messi’s legacy.

#10 Jacob Shaffelburg (Canada)

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For all the stars in Canada's lineup, and the major success that the national team achieved - becoming the first CONCACAF team in the semis of Copa America - it was an anonymous player who made the fans stand up. Jacob Shaffelburg represents Nashville SC on the club level, yet he outshone the likes of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David. Playing in all six of the matches, recording an assist in the group stages and a goal in the quarters, Jacob Shaffelburg put the continent (and Europe) on notice. He could've had another assist if Davies had more focus too!

#9 Jhon Cordoba (Colombia)

Aged 31 and entering the tournament with only four caps for his country, Jhon Cordoba played a key role in his country reaching the rare final. Getting a goal and an assist in the second group game, before assisting for a 1:1 draw with favoured Brazil. Cordoba got on the scoresheet in the 5:0 thrashing of Panama in the quarters, and with four goal involvements is the joint-third on the overall rankings. Reaching the pinnacle of his career when none.

#8 Luis Diaz (Columbia)

If there is a perfect encapsulation or embodiment of South American football - in the current game it's Luis Diaz. Technical as much as he is tooth-and-nail. He scored two goals "only" but the Liverpool star made the kitman work as much as the opposing defenders. Hey, even his dad on the stands was running laps up and down.

#7 Salomon Rondon (Venezuela)

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Aged 34, and perhaps forgotten in Europe even though he did not left that long ago, but Salomon Rondon has been a force for Venezuela. With three goals and one assist, the veteran striker has been the tournament's second-best goalscorer! In just four games. He was third overall in goal involvement as well.

#6 Manuel Ugarte (Uruguay)

Even though Uruguay's quest didn't end up as well as they had hoped, taking the scalp of Brazil was enough of a consolation prize for the first winner of the World Cup. A team with a clear identity as any of the Uruguayan sides even the neutrals cherished, yet in it Manuel Uguarte stood out with his uruguayness. Tenacious, hardworking, tireless, and everpresent. No showing of ego that a Paris Saint-Germain starter at the age of 23 might display, just patriotism through pitch coverage.

#5 Lionel Messi (Argentina)

His on-pitch tournament ended in tears as he was forced to leave the game in the 66 minute because of an injury - a mirror of Cristiano's similar situation from 2016. But Lionel Messi's overall tournament ended up with another celebration. A third in a row. Messi had the least to show for it in terms of numbers, a goal and an assist, but he was still a primary creator for his side. Missing only the third group match.

Messi remained the key player for Argentina, despite being 37, and if his teammates had more composure, he could've ended up with more assists.

#4 Cristian Romero (Argentina)

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Argentina never missed attacking talent. In all the tournaments they stumbled, they did it in the back. Now Lionel Messi has called Cristian Romero the best defender in the world - and while it's a bit of friendly exaggeration, Romero is one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and also a bedrock of the Argentine defence that capitulated only once in six games. Two of which went to overtime. Romero was only rested for the third group matchday.

While he's not the most attention-grabbing, he certainly was one of the best players of the 2024 Copa America.

#3 Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)

Many are calling Argentina's success an international treble - considering that the team won two Copa America tournaments in a row and a World Cup in between. Finally. After years of failing while believing they have the best player in the world. Always a star-studded team, Messi aside. But the deadlock was broken when Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez took reigns of the goal!

Argentina always struggled with keepers in the past several years, but they managed to see through a golden period with a goalkeeper who isn't playing for a world-class club. But is putting in world-class performances and is one of the best GKs in the world - no doubt. Dibu has conceded only one goal in six matches, 570 minutes! He also saved two shots in the quarter-final penalty shootout against Ecuador.

#2 James Rodriguez (Colombia)

Exactly 10 years after his World Cup exploits and the big money transfer to Real Madrid, James Rodriguez was again in the limelight this summer. A decade ago in Brazil, James was crowned as the top goalscorer of the tournament with six goals. In United States, he laced up his assisting shoes - with the same number of assists. No one else had even three! As James scored a goal as well, he had a better goal-involvement ratio than any other player in the tournament.

Written off in Europe after his peculiar transfer to Everton and a departure to Saudi Arabia, now playing in Brazilian league - Rodriguez didn't get the notice he was done. He opened the tournament with a brace of assists, recorded another in the group, then scored and made two assists against Panama in the quarter-finals. In the semis against Uruguay, he assisted the only goal that scheduled the final clash.

#1 Lautaro Martinez (Argentina)

Not only was he the top goalscorer of the competition with five goals - two clear of everybody else - Lautaro Martinez achieved it by starting in only two of the six games! That's right, Lautaro scored six goals and spent only 222 minutes on the pitch!

Lautaro sealed the deal in the first group game with a goal for the final 2:0 against Canada needing 12 minutes on the pitch to do so. He was the lone scorer as a sub in the second match against Chile - needing only 15 minutes. Inter's striker didn't get the vote of confidence from the manager even after scoring a brace in the first game he started - against Peru in the last group matchday.

Yet he continued his amazing season - which had him included on the list of top strikers in the world - by scoring the lone goal in the final! Again coming on as a sub, Lautaro scored in the 112th minute to give his countrymen another reason for celebration.