Lionel Messi Exits Inter Miami’s League Cup With Apparent Leg Injury

Lionel Messi Exits Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup With Apparent Leg Injury

Updated Aug. 2, 2025, 11:24 p.m. ET

By Doug McIntyre, Soccer Journalist

Lionel Messi limped off Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against the Mexican club Necaxa after just 10 minutes on Saturday due to an apparent leg injury. Messi was knocked to the ground four minutes earlier during a collision with Necaxa defender Alexis Pena at the top of the visitors’ penalty area at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

The football legend, who celebrated his 38th birthday last month, attempted to continue playing but required treatment from Miami’s training staff on the field before walking slowly to the sideline and then to the Herons’ dressing room. He was substituted by fellow Argentine Federico Redondo. nueva ecija mpbl line up 2023

Jordi Alba managed to score a header that equalized the match at 2-2 in the second minute of stoppage time, prompting a shootout, which Inter Miami ultimately won 5-4. Inter Miami converted all five of its penalty kicks, while goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo denied Tomás Badaloni during the third round of the shootout. Suárez secured the win with a shot into the top left corner.

After the match, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano stated that Messi was not necessarily in pain but felt a pull, indicating that Messi would undergo further examination on Sunday to determine the severity of his injury. “There’s probably something there,” Mascherano noted through an interpreter.

Following Messi’s exit, Miami opened the scoring just seconds later, with newcomer Rodrigo De Paul—who was Messi’s teammate on Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad—setting up Venezuelan attacker Talasco Segovia for a powerful shot from outside the box. This was De Paul’s first assist for his new club.

However, the night took another unfortunate turn for the hosts as Inter defender Maximiliano Falcon received a straight red card in the 17th minute. Necaxa took advantage of the man advantage, equalizing before the first half concluded.

Inter Miami, the 2023 Leagues Cup champion, also won its 2025 competition opener with a 2-1 victory over Atlas last Wednesday. They will conclude the first phase of the competition, which features 18 MLS representatives alongside all 18 teams from Liga MX, on August 6 against UNAM Pumas. bigman resort

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports, having covered the United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups across five continents. jili casino 777 Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre royal vegas. jili 291 login register The Associated Press contributed to this report.

What are your thoughts on Messi’s injury and its potential impact on Inter Miami’s season?