Messi and Neymar picked as best players at Copa America just before final
Rio de Janeiro, Jul 11: Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Neymar were picked as the two best players of the Copa America just before they met in the final.
"It is not possible to choose only one (best) player because this tournament has two of them," CONMEBOL said in a statement.
Messi dished up four goals and five assists in six matches.
Neymar delivered two goals and three assists in five games.
CONMEBOL's technical study group added that the players had a positive impact on their teams and were "the reflection of the South American DNA in every match they played" in the Copa.
The study group included Colombia's Francisco Maturana and Carlos Restrepo; Uruguay's Daniel Ba ales and Gerardo Pelusso; Argentina's Sergio Batista and Nery Pumpido and Brazil's Oswaldo de Oliveira.
Argentina captain Messi has so far played his best tournament with the national team since his debut in 2005. He is also comfortable as the leader on the pitch, in contrast with the shy Messi of past tournaments.
Meanwhile, Neymar has steered Brazil with his dribbles, passes and shots. Also, his exchanges with midfielder Lucas Paquet have made Brazil more fluid up front.
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NIA arrests key accused involved in human trafficking to US via 'dunki' route
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key accused allegedly involved in sending a man illegally to the US via the infamous 'dunki' route.
The term 'dunki', believed to have originated from the word "donkey", refers to an illegal pathway that immigrants take to enter countries like the United States without proper documentation. Their risky and arduous travel is usually facilitated by a human-trafficking syndicate.
Accused Gagandeep Singh alias Goldie, a resident of west Delhi's Tilak Nagar, has been arrested by the NIA, an official statement said on Sunday.
Goldie was allegedly paid around Rs 45 lakh by a victim from Punjab's Tarn Taran district for illegal immigration, it said.
The victim was sent to the US via the 'dunki' route in December 2024, the statement issued by the NIA said.
He was deported to India by US authorities on February 15 and had thereafter filed a complaint against the accused "agent".
The case was originally registered by the Punjab Police and later, taken over by the NIA on March 13.
NIA investigations revealed that Goldie, who did not possess a licence or legal permit or registration for sending people abroad, had used the 'dunki' route and sent the victim to the US via Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.
"Donkers/associates of Goldie had even beaten up and exploited the victim, besides snatching the dollars he was carrying, during the arduous journey, NIA investigations further revealed," the statement said.
Replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had, on March 28, said, "From January 2025 till date, a total of 636 Indian nationals have been deported to India from the US."
