Lionel Messi prematurely left Sunday night's Copa America final between Argentina and RubypointColombia during the second half with an apparent ankle injury.
The 37-year-old soccer icon get subbed off after 65 minutes of play in what might be his final major international tournament.
Messi took a fall and immediately called for help from trainers. It appeared Messi was trying to run as fast as he could, but he just tripped over himself.
With his captain armband is off and his right cleat removed, Messi slowly walking off the pitch. Messi was later seen on the Argentina sideline with an ice pack on his right ankle and covering his face while crying.
Messi was replaced on the pitch by Nicolás González.
FOX Sports cameras later showed the severity of the swelling in Messi's right ankle.
During the first half, Messi tried to chase and hit a ball before it went out of bounds. He planted his right foot, which bent in an awkward position before getting the kick away. Messi grimaced in pain and rolled over several times toward the field to be evaluated by trainers.
Messi eventually stood up to walk off on his own power, but not without a visible limp. The injury happened at the 36th minute of the first half, and Messi eventually returned to the game.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
2025-05-07 06:112079 view
2025-05-07 05:58569 view
2025-05-07 05:22974 view
2025-05-07 05:122977 view
2025-05-07 04:301098 view
2025-05-07 04:082315 view
You're pulling your hair out, trying to fix something on your computer. You Google it and find what
Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan’s road to their newborn twin babies was not smooth sailing.The c
The products featured in this article are from brands available in NBCUniversal Checkout. E! makes a