Lionel Messi leaves the Copa América final in tears due to an ankle injury; Argentina beats Colombia to win its 16th title [Video]

Lionel Messi left the Copa América final against Colombia in tears on Sunday after sustaining an ankle injury in the second half.

At the end of the game, he was all smiles as Argentina won 1-0 without their star striker. The goal was scored by Lautaro Martínez in the second half of extra time.

Messi leaves the game goalless

In the 63rd minute, Messi fell to the grass and immediately signaled to the bench.

He limped to the sidelines, but his Copa América was over. Messi left the game in the 66th minute, coming on for Nicolás González with the game tied goalless.

When the moment came, Messi burst into tears on the bench.

The exact nature of his injury was not immediately clear, but he was seen lying on the bench with his right ankle wrapped in ice.

When the bandage was removed, a welt appeared on his ankle.

Messi appeared to sustain an injury in the first half following a tackle on the byline. He held his right ankle after the fall but returned to the game.

Messi, 37, has suffered from leg injuries that have limited him for much of the year, injuring his right thigh in the group match against Chile and sitting out Argentina's group final against Peru, although Argentina had already secured a place in the knockout stages of the tournament.

Argentina went into Sunday's final as reigning Copa America and world champions. Messi, the world's best player and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, smiled from the bench as Argentina secured their 16th Copa America title, breaking the tie with Uruguay as the all-time most-winning team, while Colombia were denied a second title.

Sunday's Copa América final was shrouded in chaos even before it began. Fans at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium stormed the gates and broke through barriers to get in, regardless of whether they had tickets or not. Authorities temporarily opened the stadium's gates to prevent injuries because of “serious fears that fans could be crushed while trying to get in.”