JOIN USAt 15, Argentina and Uruguay have won most Copa America titles
Superstar Lionel Messi won his first trophy with his national team as Angel Di Maria's goal gave Argentina a 1-0 win over hosts Brazil in the Copa America final on Saturday.
The victory at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium ended Argentina's 28-year wait for a major trophy, and also ended Brazil's unbeaten home record that stretched back more than 2,500 days.
Argentina had last tasted success at a major tournament in 1993 when the great Gabriel Batistuta's brace gave them a 2-1 win over Mexico in the Copa final in Ecuador.
They have now won the Copa America title 15 times, equal with Uruguay's tally. Brazil are in the third position with nine titles.
Uruguay won the first 2 editions of the competition, in 1916 in Argentina and 1917 in Uruguay. On the other hand, Argentina won their first Copa title in 1921 but by 1947, they had already overtaken their neighbours from across the Río de la Plata with nine title wins. Up until this point, only Brazil (twice) and Peru (once) had won the tournament.
Argentina continued to dominate in the tournament in the 1940s, a period that also saw Paraguay and Bolivia join the list of winners.
It was not before 1987 that Uruguay once again became the nation with the Copa America title wins, winning it 13 times compared to Argentina’s 12. The nations of the Río de la Plata continued to enjoy success in the tournament, with Argentina winning it in 1991 and 1993 and Uruguay again becoming the champions in 1995.
In 2011, after a comparatively long period without a title win for the two nations, Uruguay, with stalwarts like Luis Suárez and Diego Forlán were crowned champions. Uruguay's tally of Copa America title wins surged to 15, while Argentina had 14 wins under their belt.
And that is how the record remained for a decade until this Saturday.