Lionel Messi faces some serious competition….

The Copa America group stage was full of twists and turns, with both established stars and surprises among the standout performers.

The favourites so far include Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, West Ham, Liverpool and Inter Miami, with four exciting quarter-final matches ahead of us.

We’ve selected 10 early contenders who have stood out in the early stages of the 2024 Copa America so far. Here’s our Player of the Tournament rankings at mid-tournament, which we’ll update as the knockout stages progress.

10. Emiliano Martinez (NEW)

Gianluigi Donnarumma was named Player of the Tournament at the last European Championship, but no goalkeeper has ever won the Copa America Player of the Tournament award before.

Aston Villa’s No.1 goalkeeper was named the best goalkeeper after his penalty heroics at the recent Copa America, and his alertness and ability to avoid penalties could prove useful once again.

Argentina have a relatively favourable path to the final in Miami, with Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay on the other side of the ladder, but we can certainly imagine a scenario where there is a tight, low-scoring draw and Martinez is called upon to be the hero once again.

He has been well protected and hasn’t had to put in much effort so far, but he has saved six shots and kept a clean sheet so far.

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9. Rafal Romo (=)

If you follow international football in South America, you are no doubt aware that Venezuela is an emerging force.

They are the only CONMEBOL team to have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup (though that record could change in 2026), and have never made it past the semi-finals of the Copa America.

Now we are happy to call them “this year’s surprise” in our pre-tournament rankings, given that they beat Ecuador and Mexico to qualify for the quarter-finals with a game to go.

They are there largely thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Romo, a former Watford loanee who now plays for Ecuadorian club Universidad Catolica. He made five important saves, including a penalty, and was undoubtedly the standout player for Venezuela in their crucial 1-0 win over Mexico.

Romo kept another clean sheet as Venezuela beat Jamaica 3-0 in their final group stage match, and will be confident heading into the quarter-finals against Jesse Marsch’s Canada.

8.Moise Bombito (=)

Copa America debutants Canada qualified for the quarter-finals from a tough group that includes champions Argentina, conceding just two goals in three group stage matches.

There are a number of Canadian players who could have easily made the list, including stars Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies, but we couldn’t leave out Colorado Rapids centre-back Bombito.

The 24-year-old was a defensive mainstay as Jesse Marsch’s well-organised side kept two consecutive clean sheets to reach the last eight, beating established Copa America stars Peru and Chile.

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7. Vinnicius Junior (↓1)

The Ballon d’Or contender faced a wave of criticism after a poor performance in the opening match against Costa Rica, in which Brazil coach Dorival Junior moved him into the attacking line without much success, eventually taking him off 20 minutes from time.

This is a man who scored twice in the Champions League final with Real Madrid and has appeared on many of the biggest stages of club football, but there is still a feeling in Brazil that he has not yet managed to match Neymar, who was much more productive at the same age, or other icons of Brazilian football by replicating his club form on the international stage.

The 23-year-old responded to criticism against Paraguay, scoring twice before half-time to give Brazil a commanding lead. He could have had a hat-trick had he converted a penalty midway through the second half.

But he failed to win again, as Brazil failed to win the group, drawing only 1-1 with Colombia in their last match. Now, with Uruguay in good form, and then a possible rematch with Colombia, and most likely Argentina in the final, Vinicius has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, which he has to fulfill in the upcoming important matches.

6.Lucas Paqueta (↑1)

In Europe, era-defining German midfielder Toni Kroos treats us to a magnificent final dance. Every cup match could be his last in professional football, as he announced his decision to retire at the peak of his powers.

The same could be said of Paquet, albeit for entirely different reasons. The West Ham player could face a lifetime ban if found guilty of betting-related offences, despite being just 26.

Whatever happens, he was a joy to watch. Brazil have been a bit of a handful, drawing two and winning one of their three games. Paqueta may not be their best player, but he may be their most important. The man who drives them, pulling the strings from midfield.

Brazil looked worse after being taken off at half-time against Colombia, although it could be argued that he was to blame for not following up on Daniel Munoz’s run for the equaliser. Hesitation and roundabouts.

5. Darwin Nunez (↓1)

Forget everything you know about Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. This strange, wildly inconsistent striker is probably having a slow summer on Merseyside.

No, instead the Copa America was graced by Darwin Nunez: the Uruguayan Striker. He’s a different animal altogether. A dead-eyed fool who recently scored in seven consecutive international appearances, including back-to-back Copa wins over Panama and Bolivia.

Nunez failed to extend his scoring streak to eight games against the United States, but was still a threat in the 1-0 win.

Watch out, Brazil.

READ: Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay lights up Copa America with football from another planet

4. James Rodriguez (↑1)

The Colombian hasn’t fared well in recent years as current trends in club football move away from the classic number 10, but he continues to perform well for his country.

Look at him with the ball at his feet and it could be 2014. You’re 10 years younger. Close your eyes and all you can hear is ITV Brazil, Brazil topic.

In all seriousness, he was simply outstanding in Colombia’s wins over Paraguay and Costa Rica, ranking first in the assists charts with three of his team’s six goals.

The Sao Paulo veteran showed more mature and positionally aware form as Colombia drew 1-1 with Brazil to top the group and extend their unbeaten run to 26(!) matches.

3. Federico Valverde (=)

There is a strong case to be made that Uruguay, rather than defending World Cup champions Argentina, are the best team in South America since Bielsa was appointed last year.

They beat Brazil and Argentina in qualifying and began this year’s Copa America with wins over Panama and Bolivia by eight goals.

Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, fresh from winning another Champions League, is a pacesetter from midfield. You’d swear he was engineered in a laboratory to be Bielsa’s ideal player, such is his inspiring mix of energy and technical ability.

As always with Bielsa’s teams, it’s a collective effort. We’ve already picked Nunez, while Manchester United target Manuel Ugarte and Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo deserve honourable mentions, but we can’t leave Valverde out, such is his class.

It may not be a glamorous enough name, but if he led Uruguay to victory in the Copa America, he should certainly be among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or.

2. Lautaro Martinez (=)

The favourite to win the Golden Boot is scoring an average goal every 30 minutes and has started only one of Argentina’s three group stage matches.

Coming into this tournament after his best season yet at Inter, in which he won the Cappocannoniere award for Serie A’s top scorer and helped the Nerazzurri to the title, he appears confident.

At the World Cup, Martinez started with Lionel Scaloni’s faith at the top before losing his place to Julian Alvarez. This time, he scored from the bench against Canada and Chile and marked his first start with two goals. He certainly did enough to replace Alvarez in the upcoming qualifiers.

Ultimately, if Argentina manage to go far or at least defend the trophy, it will be hard to ignore anyone…

READ: Where Are They Now? Every Copa America Golden Boot Winner Since 2004

1. Lionel Messi (=)

We simply can’t ignore him. Even after turning 37 and in his twilight years, he remains Argentina’s talisman, the focal point of everything they do in the future.

He didn’t put in the best performance in the opening game against Canada, but even on a bad night when he missed several good chances to score, he managed to assist Martinez’s second and create five other good chances.

A post kept him out of the game against Chile on a frustrating evening, but he was once again the best player on the pitch despite a thigh problem, while their early qualification allowed him to be rested for a relatively dead match against Peru.

Expect him to be hungry, fresh, fit and ready for the knockout stages. We expect Messi to captain Argentina in another major final – in Miami Gardens, to be precise – on July 15.