(Fort Lauderdale) Lionel Messi will miss at least the next two games for Inter Miami, the Florida team’s head coach announced Tuesday, after the Argentine injured his right ankle during the Copa America final.
Gerardo “Tata” Martino said Messi will undergo a battery of additional tests to determine the severity of the injury, and declined to speculate on whether it was a long-term injury. Inter Miami hosts Toronto FC on Wednesday night and the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
Messi, 37, left the pitch in tears after Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final on Sunday after suffering an injury in the 64th minute.e minute of play. He immediately looked towards the Argentine bench and remained lying on the ground for a few minutes before removing his right shoe and walking slowly towards the sidelines. The TV then showed him covering his face with his hands, unable to contain his tears. The cameras then showed him sitting on the bench, his right ankle badly swollen.
Messi said he was fine on Instagram on Monday, and that he hoped to return to action soon.
Inter Miami is ranked second in the Eastern Conference.