With over a hundred years of tradition, CONMEBOL Copa América™ has been and continues to be the stage for talented players in the history of football, from imposing goalkeepers and defenders to masters in midfield. And, of course, some of the most efficient goalscorers the Americas have ever seen.
From Eduardo Vargas and Paolo Guerrero to Ángel Romano, Gabriel Batistuta and other incredible strikers, many talents have left their mark. Find out, in detail, who are the all-time top scorers in the world's oldest international competition:
15. Víctor Agustín Ugarte (Bolivia) – 11 goals
The third highest scorer in Bolivian national team history, Víctor Ugarte is among the great players in the history of his country. He’s known as one of the names that made the sport grow among his compatriots. In addition to the two goals scored in the 1963 title campaign, the striker had already racked up goals in the 1949 (6) and 1953 (3) editions.
15. Óscar Gómez Sánchez (Peru) – 11 goals
Long before Cubillas and Guerrero, there was Óscar Gómez Sánchez. 'Huaqui', as he was known, was one of the Peruvian stars in between the generations who won the CONMEBOL Copa América™, and his goals helped his team go far in each iteration of the competition. He participated four times between 1953 and 1959, his biggest highlight being the six goals he scored in the 1955 edition, when he was just behind the Argentine Rodolfo Micheli in the scoring charts.
15. Herminio Masantonio (Argentina) – 11 goals
Argentinian Masantonio was playing for Huracán when he became the top scorer in both editions of CONMEBOL Copa América™ in which he participated. He played in 1935 and 1942 (with 4 and 7 goals respectively). The only thing missing was the title, which ended up in the hands of Uruguay on both occasions.
13. Ángel Romano (Uruguay) – 12 goals
Romano is not only the most successful player in the history of the tournament, with six titles won, but also one of the great scorers of the early years of the CONMEBOL Copa América™. He scored 4 goals in the 1917 edition, 3 in 1920 (being the top scorer in both years), 2 in 1921, 4 in 1924 and one in 1926.
13. Roberto Porta (Uruguay) – 12 goals
The Uruguayan striker was already playing for Ambrosiana-Inter in Italy when he began to rack up goals in the CONMEBOL Copa América™. He scored in every tournament between 1939 and 1945, although he did not finish as top scorer in any of them. His best performance was in 1942, with five goals scored.
7. Héctor Scarone (Uruguay) – 13 goals
The Uruguayan’s talent in front of goal could be summed up in an incredible achievement: he is one of only four players to have scored five goals in a single CONMEBOL Copa America™ match. His incredible display in front of goal occurred in the national team's thrashing of Bolivia in 1926. He was also top scorer of the tournament just a year later, in 1927, sharing the title with four other players.
7. José Manuel Moreno (Argentina) – 13 goals
Another record owner of five goals in a single game, Moreno achieved this feat during the 1942 edition in a historic 12-0 victory for Argentina over Ecuador. He was the co-golden boot winner that year and also scored three goals during the 1941 and 1947 tournaments, when Argentina was crowned champions.
7. Jair da Rosa Pinto (Brazil) – 13 goals
Despite being a midfielder, Jair da Rosa Pinto was an excellent goalscorer, finishing as the top scorer of CONMEBOL Copa América™ in 1949, with 9 goals scored. He played 18 games in 4 tournaments for Brazil, scoring at least two goals in six different games.
7. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) – 13 goals
'Batigol' was considered one of the best strikers in the world during the 1990s, a title he earned at CONMEBOL Copa America™ as well. He was top scorer for Argentina's title-winning team in 1991 (6 goals), and excelled during the 1993 championship too, but his goals and another scoring title in 1995 (4) were not enough for another championship for the Albiceleste.
7. Ademir de Menezes (Brazil) – 13 goals
The 1949 champion Brazil had not just one, but two natural goalscorers in the team. Ademir de Menezes, nicknamed 'Queixada', was the perfect complement to Jair in that team that dominated America. He missed out on ever winning the top scorer award, although he still scored goals in the 1945 (5) and 1953 (1 goal) editions.
7. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 13 goals
It wasn't the lack of goals that prevented La Pulga from fighting for titles in the first five edition of CONMEBOL Copa América™ he played in. Messi scored in 2007 (2), 2015 (1), 2016 (5) and 2019 (1 goal) and went blank in 2011, but the persistence paid off. He finally clinched the long-awaited title in 2021 in Brazil, sharing the scoring lead with Colombian Luis Diáz.
5. Paolo Guerrero (Peru) – 14 goals
José Paolo Guerrero Gonzáles is a celebrity in his country, and he shows on the field why he has been a fixture in the Peruvian national team for so many years. He was top scorer in three different editions of the tournament (2011, 2015 and 2019) and in 2024 he is one of the candidates to reach the all-time record of goals scored in CONMEBOL Copa América™.
5. Eduardo Vargas (Chile) – 14 goals
Chile's Vargas is one of the leaders of his country's most recent golden generation who conquered America in 2015 and 2016, years in which he was also a top scorer (4 and 6 goals respectively). He has participated in four editions of the national team tournament and today, he is thought of as an idol for the next generations of Chilean football.
3. Severino Varela (Uruguay) – 15 goals
Varela is another player who was never the top scorer in a tournament, but he always showed off his efficiency when he participated in CONMEBOL Copa América™. He scored five goals in each edition in which he played for Uruguay (1937, 1939 and 1942), winning the title with La Celeste in his last tournament.
3. Teodoro Fernández (Peru) – 15 goals
A goalscorer and champion, Fernandez had much to celebrate during his participation in Peru's first ever CONMEBOL Copa América™ title in 1939, his fourth appearance in the tournament out of seven in total. Almost half (7) of all his goals were scored in during that edition, with two hat-tricks (both against Ecuador) and important goals against Brazil and Argentina in the finals.
1. Zizinho (Brazil) – 17 goals
One of the all-time top scorers in CONMEBOL Copa América™ is a midfielder. The former Flamengo, Bangu and São Paulo player scored goals in all 6 editions he played between 1942 and 1957, the highlight being the four goals he scored against Chile in 1946. He was champion in 1949.
1. Norberto Méndez (Argentina) – 17 goals
Norberto Méndez, known as 'Tucho', was one of the best in a great generation of Argentine footballers who led the Albiceleste to its only three-time consecutive championships in the history of CONMEBOL Copa América™ between 1945 and 1947. He was top scorer in the first year of the treble, tying with Brazil's Heleno de Freitas (7 goals), and is one of the few players in history to score a hat-trick in the Brazil vs. Argentina classic, which he also achieved in 1945.
CONMEBOL.com / OPTA
