Copa America Top Scorer 2021: Lionel Messi ahead of Neymar in Golden Boot Race

The Copa America 2021 is heading towards a photo finish as arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina will be locking horns in Sunday's summit clash at the Maracana Stadium in  Rio de Janeiro.

While a blockbuster contest is on the cards, all eyes will also be on Lionel Messi and his former FC Barcelona teammate Neymar. The duo knows each other pretty well and the friendship takes a backseat when the two traditional rivals collide on the football field come Sunday.

Copa America golden boot

Both Lionel Messi and Neymar will not only be hoping to take their team past the finish line and lay their hands on the elusive silverware but would also be hoping to finish the tournament by emerging victorious in the Golden Boot Race. 

Copa America top scorer 2021

The Argentina captain has scored four goals so far in the ongoing Copa America 2021, whereas, his Brazilian rival Neymar has succeeded in finding the back of the net twice.  In fact, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi scored three goals during the group stages and his last goal had come during the former world champions' quarterfinal clash against Ecuador where they made a smooth passage to the semis with a clinical  3-0 victory. 

Apart from scoring four goals, Lionel Messi also made a tremendous impact with five assists that helped Argentina earn a place in the final. Whereas, Neymar on the other hand has contributed with three assists. 

Argentina vs Brazil

Coming back to the high-voltage grand finale, La Albiceleste has reached the finals in four of the last six editions but have not been fortunate enough to lift the prestigious trophy in almost 30 years. While Argentina have been the second-most successful team in the prestigious tournament with 14 titles to their name, Brazil have got their name engraved on the trophy plate nine times. In fact, the five-time world champions are the title-holders and will win the Copa America title for the 10th time should they retain the title this weekend.