In the first half against Chile, Messi hurt his right leg after a painful tackle from defender Gabriel Suazo. A member of Argentina’s medical team took care of Messi on the sidelines, before the 37-year-old superstar returned to the field.

Messi still played the full 90 minutes for Argentina in the match at MetLife Stadium, but speaking after the match, the striker himself admitted that he felt worried from the beginning about the hamstring problem.

Messi said: “I felt a little discomfort in my right hamstring at the start of the match. It was very tight but not comfortable at all. But I was able to play the whole match. Let’s see everything. How will it happen?

In addition, Messi revealed that he has been having a sore throat and fever in recent days. With Argentina soon winning tickets to the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals, Messi will likely be benched by head coach Lionel Scaloni in the final Group A match against Peru, taking place at 7:00 a.m. on June 30.

In fact, before attending Copa America, Messi missed 6 Inter Miami matches in MLS 2024 due to a muscle injury. Miami head coach Tata Martino had to limit the reigning Golden Ball’s playing minutes to ensure his health.

When asked about Messi’s situation, coach Scaloni said: “I haven’t talked to Leo after the match. After all, he played the entire match. You saw Leo sprinting 50 meters with Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez, and that’s the last image I have (in my head). I can’t say more because I haven’t met Leo yet.”