Lionel Scaloni says Lionel Messi didn’t want to let his team-mates down after he was forced out of the Copa America final with a foot injury.
Messi, 37, playing in what will surely be his final Copa America was left sobbing on the bench after having to come off midway through the second half against Colombia.
The Argentina captain appeared to slip on the pitch at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and went down without any contact from any other player.
He called for medical assistance, was briefly treated on the field by staff before walking off the pitch with his right boot removed. He was later seen on the Argentina bench with ice applied to his right-foot area which appeared severely swollen.
In Messi’s absence Lautaro Martinez scored the only goal of the game to win the title for Argentina. Messi returned to the field after the game to lift the trophy alongside team-mates.
GO DEEPER
Argentina beats Colombia to win record-breaking Copa America title
Head coach Scaloni said afterwards Messi was desperate not to come off but was left with no choice.
“Leo has something that everyone should have. He’s the best in history and, even with an ankle like that, he doesn’t want to go off,” he said.
“It’s not because he’s selfish, but because he doesn’t want to let his team-mates down. He was born to be on a pitch.”
Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul echoed his coach’s comments, saying: “I know how Leo thinks and what he most wants is always to be on the pitch with us, helping us there.”
The field in Miami appeared to be in poor condition with a number of players losing their footing on a slick-looking surface before and after Messi’s injury.
The playing surfaces at Copa America have been the subject of much criticism with Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa one of many to call into question their suitability.
Messi was left in tears on the Argentina bench (Photo: Viaplay)
Messi had after the semifinal described the latter stages of this tournament as “the last battles” of a glittering international career.
“I’m living it like I lived it in the last Copa America, in the last World Cup,” he said. “These are the last battles and I’m enjoying them to the maximum.”
Messi’s goal against Canada in the semifinal saw him move second on the all-time international goalscorers list, behind only great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has 187 caps for his country, has scored 109 goals and added 56 assists — all Argentine records.
It is a third major tournament win as a senior international for Messi after he followed the 2021 Copa America by captaining Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He also won an Olympic gold medal as an under-23 at the Beijing Games in 2008.
The severity of the injury remains to be seen but is sure to be a cause of concern for Inter Miami. Messi had scored 12 goals in 12 appearances in Major League Soccer this season while adding nine assists before leaving for Copa America duty.
(Top photo: Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images)
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