Lionel Messi limps off in tears after apparent non-contact injury in Copa América final

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — Lionel Messi was in tears.

In the 64th minute of the Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia, the superstar forward went down with an apparent non-contact injury, forcing him to leave the match. Colombian defender Johan Mojica immediately came over to see if he was OK, and then both players quickly motioned over to the sideline for trainers to come out.

After a few minutes of evaluation, Messi took off his right shoe and limped off the field. He removed his captain’s armband — which was given to close friend Ángel Di María, who is playing in his final match before retiring — and was replaced by Nico Gonzalez.

TV cameras caught Messi sitting on the bench beside himself, bawling. His face was in his palms. Surely an unsettling sight for Argentina fans, especially given the match was scoreless.

While it was not immediately clear the severity of Messi’s injury, the 37-year-old hasn’t been 100% healthy in this tournament. In the 36th minute, he beat Santiago Arias to the end line and tried to get a cross into the box, but went down out of bounds grabbing is right ankle. Messi came off the pitch for a second, but when he returned, he was clearly favoring the injury.

Messi rarely comes off the pitch, so when he does, it’s significant. He played the full 90 minutes in La Albiceleste’s last two matches — a quarterfinal win over Ecuador and semifinal victory vs. Canada.

He’s only scored once this tournament – an insurance goal Canada in the semifinal – marking his 14th goal in 38 career Copa América appearances.

Ever since Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there’s been speculation as to when he will retire. While there are conflicting reports out there, Messi has appeared determined to play again for Argentina in 2026 when the World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

After the Copa semifinal, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said no one is trying to run Messi off the national team, though.

“We have to let him be and we will never be the ones to close the door [on his career],” Scaloni said via interpreter. “He can be with our team for as long as he wants to be. And if he wants to retire, but still come and hang around, that would be great.”

Regardless of when that day ultimately comes, it would be impossible to imagine that Messi goes out like this.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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