Lionel Messi was left in tears after suffering a nasty ankle injury during Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final.

Lionel Messi was left in tears after suffering a nasty ankle injury during Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final.

Messi was substituted in the 66th minute at Hard Rock Stadium having battled on for half an hour after appearing to initially sustain the injury during the first half.

The Argentina captain appeared to be hampered by the issue after receiving treatment following a heavy collision with Santiago Arias.

Messi had hoped to guide his side to a third major trophy in succession on familiar turf in Miami, the city he now calls home.

But with the problem not resolving itself, Lionel Scaloni was forced to replace the 37-year-old with Nicolas Gonzalez as both sides sought a winner.

It meant three tournament successes in a row for Scaloni’s side having won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 between back-to-back Copa America triumphs.