The Copa America is one of the most prestigious international tournaments, but you'd be surprised how many big names fail to win it.
Lionel Messi proved just how difficult it is to win the trophy, as it took him six attempts to finally win with Argentina in 2021.
We took a deep dive into the history of the Copa America and found that there are 12 players who are hard to believe who have never won this famous competition.
neymar
The biggest names of our time who never got the prestigious award. Brazil have won the Copa America in recent years, but Neymar was not part of the team in 2019 due to injury.
In 2021, Brazil came close to winning the championship, but Angel Di Maria's winning goal in the first half resulted in a disappointing loss to Argentina.
Unfortunately, he has been left out of Dorival Jr.'s team due to injury, so he won't have a chance to win this year either. Some players just can't take breaks.
Read: Incredibly talented players left out of Brazil's Copa America squad
Diego Maradona
Maradona is known for his exploits at the 1986 World Cup, but surprisingly he never won the Copa America with Argentina.
A year after winning the World Cup in 1986, Argentina were keen to win the 1987 Copa America, especially since the tournament would be held on their home ground.
However, despite Maradona's three goals, Argentina fell short in the semi-finals, losing 1-0 to eventual champions Uruguay.
Pele
Despite having a trophy cabinet containing three World Cup trophies and one of the best international records of all time, Pele never won a Copa America trophy.
He played in only one tournament, becoming the year's top scorer in 1959, but that year Brazil ultimately lost to Argentina.
Javier Mascherano
In the history of the competition, only eight players have appeared in more Copa Americas than Mascherano. The versatile Argentine was a four-time runner-up from 2004 until 2016.
Despite being one of the most consistent players in international football, Mascherano always seemed to miss out on big prizes at the final hurdle.
They have lost four Copa America finals and lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final. That's painful.
Read more: 13 international teams looking forward to their return: Germany, Mexico, Ireland…
Take our quiz: Can you name the most capped player from each South American country?
carlos tevez
Despite reaching three finals, Tevez was never part of a Copa America winning team. The fact that he lost two of his finals on penalties will be especially painful.
Tevez contributed a goal on average every 94.5 minutes while playing in the Copa America, but his efforts were ultimately in vain.
He was still playing professional football when Argentina won the title in 2021, but was not selected for the national team as he was in the twilight of his career.
James Rodriguez
Rodriguez has won just about everything there is to win at club level, but international success has always eluded him.
The Colombian playmaker has produced many notable performances on the international stage over the years, but never quite reached the top of any of them.
Rodriguez came closest to winning the Copa America in 2016, but Colombia lost to Chile in the semi-finals and ultimately finished third in the tournament.
Kaka
At his peak, Kaka requested not to play in the 2007 Copa America as he needed a break from football.
As fate would have it, Brazil won the tournament that year, and Kaka never had another chance to win the Copa America.
Julio Baptista replaced Kaka in the 2007 team, and the result was spectacular. The attacking midfielder scored a spectacular goal four minutes into the final, playing a key role in Brazil's victory in the tournament.
Juan Roman Riquelme
Despite being one of the most naturally gifted players Argentina has ever produced, Riquelme always seemed to elude international success throughout his career.
Other than winning Olympic gold in 2008, he never won any international trophies. He was part of the team that came so close in 2007, but lost to Brazil in the final.
Take our quiz: Can you name all the countries that have qualified for the 2024 Copa America?
Radamel Falcao
Colombia's all-time leading scorer never got it either. In 12 Copa America appearances, Falcao scored just two goals and failed to advance beyond the semi-finals.
Gonzalo Higuain
The Argentine forward has come under fire here and there for missing the odd sitter during international duty, but his performance in the Copa America has been anything to go by.
He played in 13 Copa America games, scoring 7 goals and providing 2 assists, contributing an average of 87.6 minutes. However, despite his goal-scoring talent, he never lifted the trophy himself.
carlos valderrama
Considered by many to be Colombia's best ever player, 'El Pibe' failed to win the trophy despite some great performances.
Valderrama lost twice to his eventual opponents in the semi-finals and was unable to win any major trophies with Colombia, despite being part of the golden generation.
Javier Zanetti
The legendary fullback competed in five separate competitions, but was unable to win any of them. Zanetti made an impressive 145 appearances in 2011, which ultimately brought an end to his international career.