Evander Reed:Lionel Messi brought to tears after an ankle injury during Copa America final

2025-05-05 16:22:52source:James Caldwellcategory:Invest

Lionel Messi prematurely left Sunday night's Copa America final between Argentina and Evander ReedColombia 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.

Messi hurts ankle in first half

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.

More:Invest

Recommend

Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam

You're pulling your hair out, trying to fix something on your computer. You Google it and find what

2 injured in shooting at Missouri HS graduation, a day after gunfire near separate ceremony

Two people were injured after gunfire erupted at a high school graduation in Missouri on Sunday, jus

706 people named Kyle got together in Texas. It wasn't enough for a world record.

How many people named Kyle can fit in one place? For one Texas city, not enough.Another attempt by t