• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 07 / 02 / 2011

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2011.07.01 - 14:13:49 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. The America Cup, the world’s oldest football national team’s event, kicks off this July 1st in several Argentinean cities, and will bring to the continent some of its best players that usually play in Europe.

The main attraction of this event will be, undoubtedly, host Lionel Messi, a gifted player that reminds us of former Argentinean star Diego Maradona, one of the Four Magnifecents along Pelé, Cruyff and Di Estefano .

The short middle-fielder of the FC Barcelona has a huge debt with his followers, because to his excellent performance with his club he hasn’t been able, so far, to shine at the national team’s level.

Now, Messi has the chance to bring joy to his country, after the disappointing elimination if the 2010 South Africa World Cup, where they arrived with dreams and left as a nightmare.

Argentina has won 14 America Cup titles, the same amount as Uruguay; therefore both squads will try to add a notch to their belts to lead the sub-continent.

During the last Cup hosted by Argentina in 1997 it was Uruguay precisely who raised the Cup.

The other great South American team, five-time world cup winner, Brazil, accumulates 8 cups, being the most stable in the last events with 4 titles out of five, including the two last ones,  Peru-2004 and Venezuela-2007.

Now, with a very young squad, led by rising stars Neylmar, Pato, Robinho and Ganso, Brazil will try to defend its crown won 4 years ago when they defeated Argentina 3-0 in the Jose Encarnacion Stadium in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo.

Meanwhile, among the other teams stands out Colombia, winner of the 2001 Cup, when they hosted the event, and Paraguay, which won the 1979 edition.

Precisely, those were the only two cups that were not won by the three greater teams, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. By Leonardo Pupo. (ACN)