Extra motivation: Messi and Pelé's record that could be broken against Ecuador

28 years have passed since Argentina lifted their last title. The 1993 Copa América remains more and more distant and the championship crisis grows around the Albiceleste. The man called to restore glory to the two-time world champion is Lionel Messi. He knows that the tournament that is being played in Brazil is the perfect opportunity to end the drought and at the same time be able to break a personal best.

In case ‘Leo’ scores two or more goals tonight against Ecuador in the quarterfinals, he will reach 77 goals and equal Pelé's mark as the top scorer at the national team level in South America. A new record that could be added to the record of the Argentine star. It took more than four decades for the ‘O Rei’ brand to be close to being beaten. Great ‘Killers’ like Ronaldo Nazario (62 goals), Romario (55 goals) and Gabriel Batistuta (54 goals) tried it.

The other footballers in activity who follow in the footsteps of Messi are the Uruguayans Luis Suárez (63) and Edinson Cavani (53). Both could also increase their account in the quarterfinals, when they face Colombia. The history of the ‘Pulga’ against ‘Tri’ indicates that they have been able to beat their nets five times in six games.

Numbers that glimpse that tonight the Olympian Pedro Ludovico could witness a historic event for the football of our continent. Lionel Messi has scored three goals during this Copa América and is the top scorer in the championship. For this reason, his scoring streak could also help him win the Golden Boot of the tournament.