The Copa América kicked off on July 7, with two New Manchester United players involved: Rodrigo Palacio for Argentina and Maicon for Brazil.
Marcelo Bielsa rated Palacio highly and had given him an increasingly important role in the Argentine national team, while Maicon had established himself as Brazil's starting right-back in what many newspapers had jokingly labelled a youthful Seleção. Both had earned their places through outstanding club performances. Kaká, by contrast, chose not to participate in the tournament and remained in Manchester to prepare for the new season.
Argentina opened their campaign against Ecuador on July 8, and the match attracted particular attention because Palacio started alongside Saviola. He responded with one of the best performances of the opening round, scoring a hat-trick and adding an assist as Argentina demolished Ecuador 6-1. Palacio and D'Alessandro were the outstanding figures, but it was the Red Rebels forward who dominated the headlines.
This was Palacio's first international hat-trick. Playing as part of a front two gave him far more positional freedom than he usually enjoyed at club level. He drifted towards both flanks, attacked the channels, cut inside whenever he saw space, and constantly unsettled Ecuador's defensive line.
Bielsa had clearly decided not to restrict him.
Palacio repaid that faith with his close control, acceleration, movement, and the sharper finishing he had developed during a season in the Premier League. At twenty-two, he emerged from the first round as one of the most talked-about players in the tournament.
Brazil played Chile the following day, with Maicon starting at right-back. He was equally energetic, repeatedly pushing forward down the flank while still recovering quickly enough to handle his defensive work. His pace, strength, timing of overlaps, and improved positional awareness all stood out.
With Cafu approaching the closing stages of his international career, Brazilian supporters had begun wondering who would eventually succeed him. Maicon's rise gave them an increasingly convincing answer.
That was only the beginning.
Argentina's second group match, against Mexico, proved much more difficult. Morales put Mexico ahead in the eighth minute, and although Argentina controlled most of the possession afterwards, they struggled to break down a compact and disciplined defence.
As the match moved into its final minutes, concern spread among the Argentine supporters.
Once again, Palacio stepped forward.
In the 86th minute, he received the ball on the right, powered past two defenders, and entered the penalty area. He lifted a pass towards Saviola at the far post. Saviola controlled it on his chest, turned, and shot, but the Mexican goalkeeper reacted quickly and saved with his feet.
Palacio had kept running.
The rebound fell directly into his path, and he calmly tapped into the empty net.
1-1.
It was a vital equaliser and kept Argentina in control of their own qualification. Avoiding defeat against Uruguay in the final group match would now almost certainly be enough to send them through.
Brazil, meanwhile, faced Costa Rica. Maicon twice surged forward from right-back to create goals for Adriano, who completed a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory. The striker who would later become one of Serie A's most feared forwards was in devastating form, while Maicon continued strengthening his case as one of the tournament's best full-backs.
Argentina's final group match against Uruguay became one of the most entertaining games of the first stage.
After falling behind, Palacio equalised in the nineteenth minute. Uruguay restored their lead through Vicente Sánchez shortly before half-time, and for a spell Argentina found themselves under serious pressure.
Palacio was again the player who changed the match.
He carried the ball through the middle before releasing Saviola into space on the left. Saviola stayed composed in the one-on-one and finished cleanly to make it 2-2.
Then, in the 89th minute, Palacio attacked down the right and drew a foul in a dangerous area. Argentina took advantage of the resulting free kick, with Ayala rising to head home the winner.
3-2.
Argentina had survived.
Palacio finished the group stage with five goals in three matches, making him the tournament's leading scorer. Brazil's Adriano was directly behind him with four after scoring again against Paraguay.
In the quarter-finals, Argentina faced Peru. The first half was frustrating, with neither side establishing clear superiority, but Bielsa made adjustments after the interval and once again gave Palacio more freedom.
In the 59th minute, Palacio produced the decisive moment and scored the only goal of the game.
Argentina advanced 1-0.
Brazil had a much easier time against Mexico, winning 4-0. Adriano scored twice, one with his head and one with his feet, taking his tally to six and drawing level with Palacio at the top of the scoring chart. Maicon was impressive again, attacking and defending with equal authority, and Brazilian media increasingly described him as Cafu's natural successor.
By then, the battle between Palacio and Adriano for the Golden Boot had become one of the central stories of the Copa América.
Their teams also continued advancing.
Argentina faced Colombia in the semi-finals and played a day before Brazil. Once again, Palacio was the decisive figure. Bielsa gave him freedom across the entire attacking third, and he responded with a goal and two assists in a commanding 3-0 victory.
The performance reinforced what Argentina had discovered throughout the tournament: give Palacio room to roam and he became extraordinarily difficult to contain.
Brazil then faced Uruguay.
Adriano scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory, but Maicon was just as important. In the twenty-second minute, he cleared a shot off the goal line and prevented Uruguay from taking the lead. Later, he contributed to the move that produced Adriano's winner.
The final therefore brought together Argentina and Brazil, while also providing a direct confrontation between the tournament's two outstanding attackers.
Palacio and Adriano had been almost inseparable in the scoring charts. Both had become the central attacking references for their countries. Whoever decided the final would almost certainly determine both the trophy and the individual honours.
The two managers prepared specifically for each other's star forward.
Bielsa's plan was the more aggressive of the two. Palacio would remain Argentina's attacking focal point, with the team trying to pin Brazil back through sustained pressure, while the defensive midfielders and centre-backs would pay special attention to Adriano.
Palacio rewarded that confidence in the twenty-first minute, giving Argentina the lead.
Brazil responded shortly before half-time. Argentina's defensive concentration slipped for only a moment, and Maicon took advantage, charging forward from right-back and driving a powerful long-range shot beyond the goalkeeper.
1-1.
The second half became increasingly tense.
Palacio remained Argentina's greatest threat, repeatedly drifting into dangerous positions and attacking Brazil's defensive line. His form was exceptional. Unfortunately for Argentina, their own defence could not maintain the same standard.
A mistake from Ayala eventually allowed Brazil to take the lead.
Once ahead, Brazil became more patient, slowing the game and forcing Argentina to take greater risks. Palacio and Tévez pressed aggressively from the front, refusing to allow the Brazilian defenders an easy finish.
In the 87th minute, Tévez won the ball high up the pitch and immediately slipped a pass behind the defence. Palacio timed his run perfectly, beat the offside line, and found himself through on goal.
He remained calm.
One touch to steady himself, then a composed finish past Júlio César.
2-2.
Argentina had dragged themselves back into the final.
For a moment, it looked as though the match would remain level.
Then Adriano produced the final twist.
Deep into stoppage time, Maicon advanced down the right and delivered a precise cross into the penalty area. Adriano rose above Ayala and met it powerfully with his head.
Goal.
3-2.
Brazil's supporters erupted.
Argentina had fought until the final seconds, but history remembered winners first. Their resistance would be admired, yet the trophy belonged to Brazil.
Argentina had lost the final.
Palacio, however, had lost very little personally.
His eight goals made him the Copa América's leading scorer, finishing ahead of Adriano, and he was also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
At twenty-two years old, Rodrigo Palacio had gone from one of the Premier League's most exciting young attackers to one of the most sought-after players in world football.
For New Manchester United, that was both satisfying and inconvenient.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter, Chelsea, and several other major clubs were already making their interest known. Some had begun speaking publicly before the Copa América had even finished.
AC Milan's pursuit was the most persistent.
They had wanted Palacio the previous summer but lacked both the money and New Manchester United's willingness to negotiate. This time the circumstances were different. Milan had sold Shevchenko to Chelsea and suddenly had far more spending power.
Their ambition went even further.
They wanted Kaká and Palacio together.
New Manchester United's answer was immediate.
No.
Palacio's tournament had been exceptional, and Bielsa's use of him had shown another dimension to his game. Given complete freedom across the attacking third, he had been able to demonstrate the full range of his movement, dribbling, combination play, and finishing.
At New Manchester United, his role was more structured. Cristiano Ronaldo operated from the left, Drogba or Villa occupied the centre-forward position, and Kaká worked through the middle. Palacio therefore started predominantly from the right, even though the front four rotated constantly and exchanged positions during matches.
He still had freedom.
Just not absolute freedom.
Mourinho was not surprised by what Palacio had done in South America. He had always regarded the Argentine as one of the most complete attackers in the squad.
What he rejected was the growing media argument that New Manchester United should now rebuild their entire attack around Palacio.
There was a simple reason.
Mourinho's football was based on the collective.
Argentina could give Palacio almost unrestricted freedom and look devastating when he was in form. But if an opponent managed to mark him out of the game, or if Palacio himself had an off day, the entire attacking structure could suffer.
Several of Argentina's Copa América matches had already shown that danger.
"Our football will not change because one player has a brilliant tournament," Mourinho said in an interview. "We believe in the team. In modern football, the sides that consistently win trophies are the ones whose structure survives regardless of which individual is having the best day."
He refused to explain precisely how Palacio would be used in the coming season, but inside Newton Heath his position was clear. Bielsa's approach had been effective for Argentina, but Mourinho had no intention of copying it if doing so weakened the Red Rebels' tactical balance.
To underline that point, Mourinho opened the first major tactical meeting of pre-season with something unexpected.
He showed the coaching staff and first-team squad an edited video of Greece's extraordinary run to the European Championship.
The room watched in silence as match after match unfolded on the screen.
When the video ended, Mourinho stepped forward.
"Football has changed," he said. "Not overnight, and not because of one tournament, but the rules of winning are changing. There has never been an era in which organisation, collective movement, and teamwork mattered as much as they do now."
He looked around the room.
"These are the rules we have to understand better than anyone else."
Then the tactical discussion began.
(To be continued.)