On the morning of July 15, the 2024 Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia took place at hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, USA.
Lionel Messi appeared in the starting lineup of the defending champion. However, the 37-year-old football star did not leave much of an impression during the minutes on the field. He only had a dangerous chance in the first half, but the ball hit his teammate Julian Alvarez.
In the 37th minute, Messi was hit by Arias' shoulders, rolled on the field and appeared to be in a lot of pain. With the timely support of the medical team, the striker born in 1987 has returned to competition.
But in the 66th minute, Messi could not continue playing and had to leave the field after being tested for injury. Before that, the captain of the Argentina team fell on his own in a lost situation.
Returning to the home team's technical area, Messi threw his shoes to the ground with a disappointed face and a complacent hug. Messi's reaction and the situation of his right ankle being bang-raped and compressed with ice made fans worried.
Through the video, it can be seen that Messi's ankle is swollen, affecting the 37-year-old striker's walking and movement.
After Messi left the field, Di Maria was awarded the captain's armband of the Argentina team.
Previously, the match between Argentina and Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final was postponed to 8:25 a.m. to start, although the original match schedule was 7:00 a.m. The reason was that thousands of fans without tickets broke the security gate to flood into the stadium. Chaos as many people climbed over the security fence in the Southwest, running past the security forces on duty.
