When Lionel Messi left the field in the 64th minute of Sunday’s Copa America final, seemingly due to a leg injury, it was an emotional ending to his night. The 37-year-old seemed to sustain a noncontact injury while sprinting across the field at full speed while Argentina, the defending champion, and Colombia were still tied at zero goals.
#Argentina won its second straight #CopaAmerica championship, overcoming #LionelMessi’s second-half leg injury to beat Colombia 1-0 on Lautaro MartÃnez’s 112th-minute goal.https://t.co/3oYd6AsqP5 pic.twitter.com/NvOQF2iPGm
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) July 15, 2024
The Moment of Messi being Injured
Messi dropped to the ground and looked straight toward the Argentina bench. He lay down for a few minutes until the trainers arrived. After receiving assistance to stand, he promptly removed his right shoe. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner flung his shoe to the ground in fury as he left the pitch, removing his captain’s armband. The next shot showed an emotional Messi hiding his face, sobbing.
Messi was taken out in the first half of the game after tripping during a chase for an out-of-bounds ball. He grabbed at his lower right leg and rolled over multiple times. After tending to the region for a short while, trainers assisted him in standing up. He made his way cautiously over to the sidelines and then got back into the game.
Messi was absent from Argentina’s group-stage match because he had been battling in pain and an injury to his leg for the majority of the competition. On Sunday, he attempted one shot in the first half.
Conclusion
The moment Lionel Messi had to leave the Copa America final early because of a leg injury affected both teammates and supporters deeply. When the Argentine star departed the field with Argentina and Colombia tied 0-0, the incident brought to light the physical toll the tournament had taken on him.