During the second half of the 2024 Copa America final against Colombia at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Argentina captain Lionel Messi was devastated when he had to leave the game due to an injury.
In the 64th minute of the game, as both teams struggled to score, Messi was clearly in pain as he collapsed to the ground, holding his ankle. It appeared that he may have twisted his right foot awkwardly, leading to the injury. The World Cup-winning captain was then quickly substituted by Nicolás González.
Messi limped off the field, carrying his right shoe in his hand, and then angrily threw it aside. With 26 minutes remaining in regulation time, he sat on the bench, tears streaming down his face. Overcome with disappointment from his injury and the inability to continue in the final, he covered his face and wept profusely. His teammates then came over to console him.
Broadcast footage revealed that Messi’s right ankle was wrapped in ice as the Miami crowd chanted “Messi, Messi.” In response, Colombian fans countered with “James! James! James!”
In the first half of the match, with less than 10 minutes remaining before halftime, Messi fell awkwardly while chasing a ball out of bounds. He rolled over several times, clutching his lower right leg in discomfort. Trainers attended to him for a few minutes before assisting him to stand. He then walked slowly towards the sideline before rejoining the game.
Throughout much of the tournament, Messi had been managing discomfort from a leg injury and had missed Argentina’s final group stage match. In the first half on Sunday, he attempted one shot on goal.
Earlier in the evening, the Copa America final experienced a delayed kickoff due to a large number of fans without tickets rushing security and attempting to enter the stadium by force. Videos that circulated widely on social media captured fans running through the concourses and trying to breach the gates of the Hard Rock Stadium.
Subsequently, police closed the gates and implemented a lockdown, resulting in many spectators being unable to enter before the match began. Both teams were temporarily taken off the field as the situation unfolded outside the stadium.
