Following a bizarre injury during the Copa America final, pictures of Lionel Messi's "destroyed" ankle go viral.
Following his walking off the field in the second half, Lionel Messi was left in tears; nevertheless, his emotions quickly changed to joy as Argentina won their 16th Copa America title.
In just a few minutes, Lionel Messi's tears of sorrow turned to tears of happiness as Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in extra time to win the 2024 Copa America. In addition to winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Argentina's striker Lautaro Martinez scored the game-winning goal in the second half of extra time to assist the team win their second straight Copa America and their third consecutive major championship. Argentina is now the most successful team in the 108-year history of the Copa America, having won 16 titles overall.
After hurting his ankle during open play in the second half, Captain Messi hobbled off after failing to break the deadlock in the first. Running at full speed, the 37-year-old slid down and appeared to be in pain. Before it was determined that Messi could not advance, the right-time Ballon d'Or received some medical attention. When he got to the dugout, he hurled the boot that was on his injured foot down in a fit of rage and limped off.
Then, with an ice pack applied on his ankle, Messi was observed crying on the sidelines. The legendary player from Barcelona had previously seemed to injure his ankle following a collision with Santiago Arias in the 36th minute. Although he was able to stand up again following treatment, he was obviously hindered for the duration of the half.
His ankle swelled in the minutes following his seat, according to live photos. After settling down, Messi was clearly having difficulty walking even a single step as he made his way to the team meeting in front of the half-hour of extra time.
Argentina versus Spain
The moment Martinez reached the back of the goal in the 112th minute, the tears and the grimace vanished almost instantly. Argentina won their third consecutive major title after winning the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup. They faced Spain, who won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships surrounding the 2010 World Cup, in a game that began one hour and twenty-two minutes late due to crowd disturbances at Hard Rock Stadium.
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