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More than 7,000 kilometers away and 7 days before the start of Euro 2024, the Copa America 2024 kicked off last night in the United States – a sort of dress rehearsal for the next World Cup. Among those vying to lift the trophy is the first South American winner (back in 2005) in the history of the European Golden Boy: Lionel Messi. Shifting the focus to the present, among the top 100 candidates in the Golden Boy Football Benchmark Index, there are 5 players who stand out among the call-ups for the competition, all ready to shine, climb the rankings, and try to triumph with their National team on July 14 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
ARGENTINA-BRAZIL: THE LAST FINAL
On July 10, three years ago, the final between the titleholder, Brazil, and the most titled national team, Argentina, was played in an empty Maracanã due to the pandemic. In this edition, the two contenders can only meet in the final, and among their ranks are three talents listed in the GBFB Index.
At that time, Alejandro Garnacho was still playing with Spain’s Under 18 team and didn’t even imagine participating in his first Copa America three years later, representing his mother’s nation, the Albiceleste. Today, Garnacho is a regular starter for Manchester United, and in this season, his best statistically with 10 goals and 5 assists, he lifted his second trophy with the Red Devils, contributing to the FA Cup victory with a goal in the final. His companion on this American journey will be Valentin Carboni, an Inter player on loan to Monza. His season with the Lombard team exceeded all expectations: 2 goals and 3 assists for him, but what stood out most was his calmness in ball management and his ability to transmit it to his teammates.
The two young talents have already crossed paths in Argentina’s Under 20 team and are ready to climb Scaloni’s hierarchy, seeking the back-to-back title of best nation on the American continent.
Brazil, which intends to redeem itself after the home defeat in the last edition, will rely on one of the absolute revelations of the Spanish Liga: Sávio.
A starter and protagonist of Girona’s extraordinary season, where he arrived on loan from Troyes, Sávio – who can play as either a left or right inverted winger – concluded the season with 9 goals and 10 assists, ranking third in the entire championship for the number of assists. The quality of Brazil’s attack for this Copa America makes fans dream: Sávio turned Girona’s European dream into reality, and now he will have to do it with millions of green and gold hearts.
FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO NORTHERN EUROPE
The stories of Joel Ordóñez and Darío Osorio are similar: both born in 2004, both moved to their respective clubs, Brugge and Midtjylland, as their first experience outside their country, and for both, it is their first major competition with the national team.
Ecuadorian Ordóñez, after a year of acclimatization in Brugge’s second team, became a central pillar of the second-best defense in the Belgian championship, collecting 19 appearances this season, including 10 consecutive in the playoffs for the title, in which he kept a clean sheet 5 times. His outstanding end of the season not only earned him a place in the GBFB Index but also convinced coach Félix Sánchez Bas to call him up for this Copa America.
For Chile, Osorio is the present and future of the attack: his first year in Europe, specifically in Denmark, ended with success in the Superligaen and the achievement of full starting status with goals and assists (8 goals and 2 assists in 23 appearances playing as a low winger). With La Roja, he has already made 8 appearances and shared the field with Alexis Sánchez, who was nominated among the European Golden Boy candidates in 2008. Chile won the last edition of the Copa America played in the United States in 2016, and for many of those players, this could be the last opportunity, but the generational turnover is already underway, and Osorio is ready to take the baton.
