Lionel Messi’s night came to an early end during the Copa America final when he left the field emotionally in the 64th minute with an apparent leg injury on Sunday night. Cameras later showed him on the bench with a badly swollen right ankle.
The 37-year-old seemed to suffer a noncontact injury while running on the pitch as Argentina secured a 1-0 victory over Colombia for its record 16th Copa America title.
Messi immediately signaled towards the Argentina bench as he fell to the ground. He stayed down for a few minutes as trainers attended to him. He had to be helped up and quickly removed his shoe from his right foot.
As he exited the field, the eight-time Ballon dâOr winner removed his captain’s armband and threw his shoe to the ground out of frustration. An emotional Messi was then seen covering his face, crying while seated.
Following the game, Messi appeared to be limping but was in good spirits. He clapped, laughed, and lifted the trophy with teammates NicolĂĄs Ottamendi and Ăngel Di MarĂa.
âWe were able to win for him,â Di MarĂa commented, âand bring him happiness.â
RELATED STORY | Messi’s 2022 World Cup jerseys up for auction
In what could be his final Copa America appearance at 39th, Messi scored one goal in the tournament. He was taken down in the 36th minute after Santiago Arias caught his left ankle, but returned to the field three minutes later.
Messi had been battling a leg injury and discomfort throughout much of the tournament, missing Argentina’s final group stage match. He only had one shot attempt in the first half of Sunday’s final.
The Copa America is an international soccer tournament featuring top national teams from North America and South America. The United States had a disappointing performance in this year’s tournament, failing to advance past the group stage after defeats to Bolivia and Uruguay.
The next Copa America tournament is scheduled for 2028.
