WATCH: Lionel Messi’s inconsolable tears to triumph and his awful ankle injury | OneFootball

It was a happy ending for Lionel Messi and Argentina on Sunday night, but there was a stage where it appeared as if things were going nightmarishly wrong. The 37-year-old was forced off with an injury after just 65 minutes, with the scores level.

Messi twisted his ankle badly in the first half, with the images – not for the squeamish – showing his foot pointing the wrong way.

Remarkably, Messi carried on playing into the second half, but after his ankle buckled under him again just after the hour mark, he was inconsolable on the bench sobbing his heart out.

Fortunately for him and Argentina, Lautaro Martinez grabbed the winner in extra time to give Argentina a 1-0 win over Colombia. After the match, manager Lionel Scaloni said that he kept going because he feels dreadful leaving the pitch because of injury, and does not want to leave his teammates to battle without him.

Messi became the most decorated player in the history of the game with this Copa America, which will almost certainly be his last. The Barcelona legend will turn 41 during the next edition, and the question is now whether his hunger and body hold up for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.