Lionel Messi leaves Copa America final in tears after injury as Argentina, Colombia battle for title

Argentina captain Lionel Messi tearfully exited Sunday's Copa America final against Colombia in the 66th minute with a non-contact injury, which could mark the 37-year-old's final moments at a major international tournament for his nation, but he did so with a trophy as Argentina won 1-0.

Messi slipped and fell in the 65th minute, almost immediately signaling that he needed to be substituted. It was not immediately clear what the injury was but it appeared that Messi's leg was the issue and after a fairly quick check by the medical staff, he came off a minute later for Nicolas Gonazlaez when the score was 0-0.

He walked over to the bench with just one shoe on and promptly sat down, quickly bursting into tears during a very important match for Argentina. Messi and company won the Copa America in 2021 and came in as the defending champions, hoping to win the title again and maintain their status as the top-ranked team in the world more than a year after winning the World Cup.

Shots of Messi crying on the bench were quickly broadcast but did not appear on screens in the stadium. Fans likely found out several minutes later about the player's emotional substitution and soon, chants of "Leo! Leo!" could be heard around Hard Rock Stadium.

Messi quickly took off his cleats and switched into a pair of slides, taking his sock off on the injured right leg so it could be iced and wrapped up. The Argentina captain unwrapped the tape as 30 minutes of extra time began, revealing an incredibly swollen right ankle in the process.

It was not the first time Messi's fitness was in question on Sunday. He was fouled by Colombia's Santiago Arias in the 35th minute and appeared to injure his ankle in the process, though he eventually came back up to play another half hour.

Questions around Messi's fitness have lingered over Argentina's run to the final throughout the tournament, and have come as early as the group stage. Messi stepped away from the field briefly in the first half of Argentina's 1-0 win over Chile, later saying he experienced discomfort in his thigh before going on to play the full 90 minutes. "I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the Game," he said after that match. "It was tight. It wasn't as loose as it should've been. But I was able to finish the Game. We'll see how it goes."

Messi then sat out Argentina's group stage finale against Peru, though his services were not in need since the team had already booked their spot in the quarterfinals at that point.

Argentina went on to win the Game in extra time, courtesy of a goal from the tournament's top scorer, Martinez, in the 112th minute. They won back-to-back Copa America titles for the first time since 1993, with these latest sandwiched in between their victory at the 2022 World Cup, allowing them to maintain their status as the team to keep an eye on ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

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