Lionel Messi left with a right ankle injury in the second half of Argentina’s 1-0 Copa America final win over Colombia on Sunday at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
Lautaro Martínez scored the winner in extra time for Argentina to claim their record 16th Copa crown and third consecutive major tournament title after winning the Copa in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022.
Messi collapsed on the field in the 64th minute and immediately signaled his concern to the Argentina bench. He remained down for several minutes as trainers came out.
As he left the field, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner took off his captain’s armband and threw his shoe to the ground in frustration. An emotional Messi was shown crying on the seat with his face covered, while TV cameras also showed his right ankle severely swollen.
He was replaced Nicholas Gonzalez.
Messi went down earlier clutching his right ankle after a heavy challenge in the first half.
The Inter Miami player chased the ball down and tried to kick it before it went out of bounds. He planted his right leg awkwardly and connected with Colombia’s Santiago Arias.
The 37-year-old writhed in pain and rolled several times as he grabbed his lower right leg. The trainers worked on the area for a few minutes and helped him. He walked slowly towards the sideline before re-entering the game.
Messi dealt with a leg injury and discomfort for most of the tournament and missed Argentina’s group stage final. He attempted a shot in the first half on Sunday.
The final was tied 0-0 when Messi left, but he was watching from the sidelines as his team won against a tough and talented Colombia team that had gone 28 straight games unbeaten.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
