The all-time top scorers in CONMEBOL Copa América™

• Norberto Méndez and Zizinho lead the all-time scoring chart with 17 goals.
• Teodoro Fernández and Severino Varela follow with 15 goals.
• Lionel Messi, Paolo Guerrero and Eduardo Vargas share the next spot with 14 goals.

The CONMEBOL Copa América™ has brought together some of South American football’s greatest attacking talents for more than a century.

From the tournament’s earliest years to its most recent generations, forwards and midfielders from different eras have left their mark by scoring goals. Among them, two names remain at the top of the all-time ranking: Argentina’s Norberto Méndez and Brazil’s Zizinho, both with 17 goals.

Who are the all-time top scorers in CONMEBOL Copa América™ history?

1. Norberto Méndez – Argentina – 17 goals

Norberto Méndez, known as “Tucho,” scored his 17 goals in just three editions: 1945, 1946 and 1947.

The Argentine forward was one of the key figures in the Albiceleste’s only three consecutive titles in the history of the competition. In 1945, he finished as the tournament’s top scorer and also scored a hat-trick against Brazil.

1. Zizinho – Brazil – 17 goals

Brazilian legend Zizinho shares first place in the all-time ranking with Méndez.

Unlike the Argentine, he built his tally across six editions played between 1942 and 1957. He scored in every one of them and won the title with Brazil in 1949.

3. Teodoro Fernández – Peru – 15 goals

Teodoro “Lolo” Fernández is Peru’s all-time leading scorer in the competition.

His best performance came in 1939, when he scored seven goals and was one of the key figures in Peru’s first CONMEBOL Copa América™ title.

3. Severino Varela – Uruguay – 15 goals

Severino Varela achieved a remarkable feat of consistency: he scored five goals in each of the three editions he played, in 1937, 1939 and 1942.

In his final appearance, he also won the title with Uruguay.

5. Lionel Messi – Argentina – 14 goals

Lionel Messi is one of the leading scorers of the modern era of the tournament.

He scored in the 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021 editions. At Brazil 2021, he scored four goals, shared the scoring lead with Luis Díaz and won his first CONMEBOL Copa América™ title with Argentina.

5. Paolo Guerrero – Peru – 14 goals

Paolo Guerrero built one of the most impressive scoring records in Peruvian football.

He finished as the competition’s top scorer in three different editions: 2011, 2015 and 2019. With 14 goals, he stands just one goal short of Teodoro Fernández’s all-time Peruvian record.

5. Eduardo Vargas – Chile – 14 goals

Eduardo Vargas was a key figure in the Chilean generation that won the titles in 2015 and 2016.

He also finished as the tournament’s top scorer in both editions, with four goals in 2015 and six at the CONMEBOL Copa América Centenario 2016™.

All-time top scorers ranking

Position – Player – National Team – Goals

1 – Norberto Méndez, Argentina – 17

1 – Zizinho, Brazil – 17

3 – Teodoro Fernández, Peru – 15

3 – Severino Varela, Uruguay – 15

5 – Lionel Messi, Argentina – 14

5 – Paolo Guerrero, Peru – 14

5 – Eduardo Vargas, Chile – 14

8 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina – 13

8 – José Manuel Moreno, Argentina – 13

8 – Héctor Scarone, Uruguay – 13

8 – Jair da Rosa Pinto, Brazil – 13

8 – Ademir de Menezes, Brazil – 13

13 – Ángel Romano, Uruguay – 12

13 – Roberto Porta, Uruguay – 12

15 – Víctor Agustín Ugarte, Bolivia – 11

15 – Óscar Gómez Sánchez, Peru – 11

15 – Herminio Masantonio, Argentina – 11

The official Copa América ranking also includes several legendary players who defined different eras of the competition. Batistuta was Argentina’s top scorer during their title-winning campaign in 1991, Jair da Rosa Pinto finished as the leading scorer in 1949, and Héctor Scarone scored five goals in a single match against Bolivia in 1926.

Méndez and Zizinho: a record that spans generations

The most remarkable aspect of the ranking is how long the record has stood.

Méndez and Zizinho scored their 17 goals several decades ago, and no player has managed to surpass them. Their paths to the record were also very different: Méndez needed only three editions to reach the mark, while Zizinho achieved it across six appearances.

That contrast also reflects the history of the competition: different eras, formats and generations, but the same ability to produce great goalscorers.

Great generations and their leading goalscorers

The all-time list features names from virtually every era of the CONMEBOL Copa América™.

Ángel Romano and Héctor Scarone starred during the tournament’s early decades. Méndez, Zizinho, Teodoro Fernández and Severino Varela were among the standout players of the middle decades of the 20th century. Later came Batistuta, Guerrero, Vargas and Messi, who kept the competition’s goalscoring tradition alive.

More than a century after the inaugural edition, the record of 17 goals remains one of the great milestones to beat in the history of the competition.