Copa America 2021 will kick off in a couple of weeks. South America's greatest tournament will be back with an eagerly-awaited edition that will gather some of the most important players in the world and powerful teams that will be seeking continental glory.
The 47th edition of soccer's oldest national team contest promises to be an exciting event this year, with Argentina hoping to end a long drought, while all the other nine nations head with plenty of expectations as well.
As the tournament is getting close, it's time to remember the records and the most important players to have taken part in the Copa America. Here, find out who are the leading goalscorers of the competition.
Copa America top scorers
From its early years, the South American championship quickly became one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, with powerful national teams taking part in it. As the years went by, it kept on being attractive as more sides began to emerge and world superstars featured in the contest.
It is no secret that this continent has had much of the world's greatest players, and Copa America showcased them throughout the years. To recall the leading goalscorers in the cup's history, we have to go back in time.
Argentine Norberto Méndez and Brazilian Zizinho are the Copa America top scorers with 17 goals each, which were netted during their playing years in the '40s. From then on, however, many more players hogged the spotlight and recorded impressive marks, despite Méndez and Zizinho's record remains unmatched.
| Player | Goals |
| Norberto Méndez - Argentina | 17 |
| Zizinho - Brazil | 17 |
| Severino Varela - Uruguay | 15 |
| Teodoro Fernández - Peru | 15 |
| Paolo Guerrero - Peru | 14 |
| Héctor Scarone - Uruguay | 14 |
| Ademir - Brazil | 13 |
| José Manuel Moreno - Argentina | 13 |
| Gabriel Batistuta - Argentina | 13 |
| Jair - Brazil | 13 |
From active players, Paolo Guerrero is the top scorer. However, other names that don't appear on the list but have also been on target many times and are still playing are Chilean Eduardo Vargas (13 goals) and Argentinean superstars Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, both with nine goals.
