Lionel Messi forced off in tears with ankle injury in Copa America final

The Argentine superstar’s night ended early after he was subbed in the 64th minute following his injury against Colombia in the Copa America final at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Argentina won its second consecutive Copa America trophy, overcoming Lionel Messi’s untimely second-half injury to beat Colombia 1-0 in the final. Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal to earn Argentina their record 16th Copa America trophy.

Why was Lionel Messi in tears?

The 37-year-old sustained a non-contact injury while running and falling with the game still at 0-0. He immediately looked toward the Argentina bench and signaled his concern to the medic team.

Lionel Messi remained down for several minutes as he was helped to his feet by the trainers who immediately took off his shoe from the right foot. As he walked off the field, he took off his captain’s armband and threw his shoe to the ground in frustration.

An emotional Lionel Messi was seen covering his face while crying on the bench while the TV cameras showed that his right ankle was extremely swollen. The veteran almost sustained a knock in the first half when he landed awkwardly after chasing a ball out of bounds and was down for two minutes on what appeared to be a right ankle injury.

The Inter Miami forward has already been dealing with a leg injury and discomfort throughout much of the tournament and missed the group-stage final game.

“Against Chile I had an adductor problem and I no longer played comfortably. I was already slowed down, it bothered me when I had to stand up or move laterally.

“Versus Ecuador [in the quarterfinal] I arrived just in time too. I was fine from the injury, but I had it in my head that I had something wrong. In the last match I lost my fear, I felt better and for the final I will feel even better,” Mess told DSports on Saturday before the final.

When will Lionel Messi be back in action?

The seriousness of Lionel Messi’s unfortunate injury needs to be assessed in the coming days as he was grimacing in pain in the Copa America final. He seemed healthy enough to celebrate with his teammates post-game but it remains to be seen how long Messi would be on the sidelines with his ankle injury.

Also Read: Argentina 1-0 Colombia: Key highlights from a tense 2024 Copa America final as Lautaro Martinez’s goal wins it for the holders