A Frightening Injury Denied Messi a Full Triumph. Leo Cried Like a Child
His teammates brought a smile back to the captain's face.
Lamine Yamal's dream came true – in the Finalissima, he will meet his idol and football godfather. Recently, the media published a tentative date for the match between the Euro and Copa champions. It looks like the match will take place in a year. Otherwise, Lamine and Argentine fans would have cause for concern – Messi sustained an injury in the final battle with Colombia, and the initial look at it is not promising.
Marcelo Bielsa recently harshly criticized the organization of the Copa America. The Uruguayan coach mostly complained about the fields – the pitch quality in the stadiums in the USA is indeed disappointing. This is obvious even from the TV broadcast. Adding to this the combative attitude of most South American teams, we get a tournament with almost as many injuries as goals scored.
Bielsa can be trusted – Ronald Araujo sustained a muscle injury in the quarterfinals against Brazil on a level field and will be out for two months. The Colombians are not to blame for Leo’s injury. So, it’s likely the issue lies with the pitch. Surprisingly, the most stylish team of Copa 2024 apparently trained only tackles before the final.
Messi could have left the field in the first half – shortly before the halftime whistle, the Argentine captain stumbled over the pitch during a sprint against an opponent. But the doctors worked their magic on Leo and allowed him to continue. It seems they underestimated the seriousness of the injury. Messi could only run for another 20 minutes in the second half before stumbling again and heading to the bench in tears. Just watching the footage of his swollen ankle is painful.
No Argentine fan can fully express their gratitude to Leo – he has done so much for his country, where football is the second religion. After the victory at the 2022 World Cup, the priorities in the local culture might need reevaluation.
In any case, Messi deserved a return gift. And Argentina, led by Lautaro Martinez, secured this significant victory for their captain – Leo has already announced that the 2024 Copa final will be his last match for the national team in a major tournament.
The Finalissima does not count as such, so we believe that we haven’t seen Messi in the national team jersey for the last time. And we hope that the great Argentine’s injury isn’t severe. After all, Leo has accustomed us to his injuries healing like those of superheroes with V treatment.
Published by Patrick Jane
15.07.2024