The South American Championship 1959 was a football tournament held in Argentina, and won by Argentina with Brazil as runner-up. Colombia and Ecuador withdrew from the tournament. Pelé from Brazil was named best player of the tournament and was the top scorer with 8 goals.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Argentina |
| City | Buenos Aires |
| Dates | 7 March – 4 April |
| Teams | 7 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | Monumental Stadium |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Argentina (12th title) |
| Runners-up |  Brazil |
| Third place |  Paraguay |
| Fourth place |  Peru |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 21 |
| Goals scored | 86 (4.1 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Pelé (8 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Pelé |
← 1957 | |
Venues
edit| Buenos Aires |
|---|
| Estadio Monumental |
| Capacity: 67,664 |
Squads
editFinal round
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 11 | |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 10 | |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 6 | |
| 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 5 | |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 5 | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 4 | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 23 | −19 | 1 |
| Argentina | 6–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pedro Manfredini Pedro Callá Juan José Pizzuti Raúl Belén |
Luis Álvarez |
| Uruguay | 7–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| José Sasía Guillermo Escalada Víctor Guaglianone Carlos Borges Vladas Douksas Domingo Pérez |
| Brazil | 2–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Didi Pelé |
Juan Seminario |
| Paraguay | 2–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| José Aveiro |
Leonel Sánchez |
| Argentina | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Omar Corbatta Pedro Callá |
| Peru | 5–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Miguel Ángel Loayza Juan Joya |
Héctor Demarco Vladas Douksas José Sasía |
| Paraguay | 5–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cayetano Ré Ildefonso Sanabria José Aveiro |
| Uruguay | 3–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Héctor Demarco Vladas Douksas José Sasía |
José Aveiro |
| Argentina | 3–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Omar Corbatta Rubén Sosa Víctor Benítez |
Miguel Ángel Loayza |
| Brazil | 4–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pelé Paulo Valentim Didi |
Ricardo Alcón Ausberto García |
| Chile | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Armando Tobar |
Miguel Ángel Loayza |
| Argentina | 3–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Omar Corbatta Rubén Sosa Vladislao Cap |
Silvio Parodi |
| Chile | 5–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Soto Juan Soto Mura Leonel Sánchez |
Máximo Alcócer |
| Brazil | 3–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Paulo Valentim |
Guillermo Escalada |
| Brazil | 4–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pelé Chinesinho |
Silvio Parodi |
| Argentina | 4–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Raúl Belén Rubén Sosa |
Héctor Demarco |
| Paraguay | 2–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| José Aveiro |
Gómez Sánchez |
| Chile | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Moreno |
| Argentina | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Juan José Pizzuti |
Pelé |
Result
edit| 1959 South American Championship champions |
|---|
Argentina 12th title |
Goalscorers
editWith eight goals, Pelé of Brazil is the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 86 goals were scored by 36 different players, with only one of them credited as own goal.
- 8 goals
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Own goal
Víctor Benítez (playing against Argentina)
Controversy
editOriginally, the 1959 Copa America was scheduled to be hosted by Ecuador. However, due to financial difficulties and infrastructure challenges, Ecuador withdrew as the host nation just a few months before the tournament was set to begin. This sudden withdrawal left CONMEBOL in a difficult situation to find a replacement host at such short notice.
In response to Ecuador's withdrawal, Argentina volunteered to step in as the new host for the tournament. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) had the necessary resources and infrastructure to organize the event. Consequently, Argentina was granted the hosting rights, and the tournament was scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires.
However, a disagreement arose among some South American nations regarding the legitimacy of Argentina being granted the hosting rights without a proper bidding process. A group of countries, including Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile, refused to participate in the tournament hosted by Argentina and organized their own competition called the "Copa del Atlántico", in response.
Meanwhile, Argentina went ahead with its plans and organized the Copa America as scheduled, inviting other CONMEBOL member nations to participate. The tournament took place from March 7 to April 4, 1959, and was won by Argentina.
After the initial Copa America tournament held in Argentina from March to April 1959, there was indeed a second Copa America held in Ecuador later that year. The second tournament took place in Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, from December 5 to 25, 1959.
The decision to hold a second Copa America in Ecuador was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Eloy Alfaro, a prominent Ecuadorian political figure. The tournament was officially named the "Copa del Centenario de la Batalla de Quito" (Centenary Cup of the Battle of Quito) to honor this occasion. Uruguay emerged as champions, securing their 10th title in the tournament's history.
Team of the Tournament
edit| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|