Lionel Messi won the 45th trophy of his career on Sunday evening - but not in the circumstances he would have wanted.
The 37-year-old lead out his Argentina side against Colombia in the Copa America final in Miami, but was left in tears after suffering a nasty-looking ankle injury in the second half.
Messi was forced off in the 66th minute after playing through the pain for 30 minutes after he looked to have initially suffered the injury during the first half following a clash with Santiago Arias.
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With the score goalless, Messi was replaced by Nicolas Gonzalez and a tearful Messi watched from the bench with ice wrapped around what looked to be a severely swollen ankle. The deadlock was eventually broken thanks to a 112th-minute goal from Lautaro Martinez, which sealed a record 16th Copa America title for Argentina.
Following the game, Messi was able to help lift the trophy alongside the retiring Angel Di Maria, but he was clearly limping and following some gruesome pictures of the swelling on social media, is now likely to be set for a spell on the sidelines.
This could cause an issue for Messi’s club side Inter Miami, who currently sit second in the MLS Eastern Conference behind FC Cincinnati, who handed Miami a 6-1 thrashing Messi absence earlier this month.
A look at Lionel Messi's swollen ankle and goal celebration. Argentina 🇦🇷 🏆@TeamMessi @WeAreMessi @MessiWorldTour @leomessisite #CopaAmerica2024 pic.twitter.com/ZOVu5FkCoIJuly 15, 2024
The MLS regular season runs until mid-October, so while Messi has plenty of time to return for the campaign’s climax, such is his pull to fans across the MLS, his last extended absence saw calls for ticket refunds by fans who missed out on seeing the former Barcelona icon in action.
Messi missed a run of matches with a muscle injury during the 2022/23 run-in, with Chicago Fire offering supporters credit if they chose not to bother attending the match in his absence, while fans in Hong Kong also demanded refunds when Messi was sidelined during the club’s pre-season tour earlier this year.
After turning 37 last month and Sunday night’s injury being the latest in a number of issues he has had to deal with over the past 12 months, Messi’s future will again come under the microscope.
"I know that the moment that I know that I'm not performing, that I'm not enjoying myself, that I'm not helping my teammates," the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner told MBC’s Big Time Podcast back in March.
"I am very self-critical. I know when I am good, when I am bad, when I play well, when I play badly... And when I feel it is time to take that step, I will take it without thinking about age. If I feel good, I will always try to continue competing, because it is what I like and what I know how to do."
Messi’s contract with Inter Miami runs until the end of 2025, while on the international front, Argentina are set to face Euro 2024 Spain in the Finalissima next year, with the 2026 World Cup taking place in the USA in two years’ time.
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