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Lionel Messi exits hurt from Inter Miami’s match against the Philadelphia Union. Chandan Khanna \/ AFP \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
May 24, 2026 Updated 10:19 pm EDT<\/p>\n
Argentina forward Lionel Messi exited Inter Miami\u2019s final MLS game before the World Cup on Sunday with an apparent injury.<\/p>\n
Messi walked toward the sideline, asked for a substitute and then immediately left the pitch down the tunnel. He was seen grabbing at the back of his leg. It was the 73rd minute of Miami\u2019s wild match against the Philadelphia Union, which was tied 4-4 at the time. Miami wound up winning 6-4 in the second-highest-scoring game in MLS history, on goals by Luis Su\u00e1rez (81st minute to complete his hat trick) and Messi\u2019s Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul (third minute of stoppage time).<\/p>\n
Inter Miami did not provide an official diagnosis after the match, but remarks from interim manager Guillermo Hoyos in his postgame press conference seemed to play down any potential severity.<\/p>\n
Fitness pending, Messi is due to join Argentina for World Cup preparations after this match, which was Miami\u2019s last before MLS takes a six-week break. It\u2019s the second straight World Cup preceded by a Messi injury scare, after he suffered from an inflamed Achilles in November 2022 while playing for PSG. He wound up playing every minute for Argentina in its seven matches in Qatar.<\/p>\n
Messi is headed straight to the locker room after getting subbed out in the 73rd minute pic.twitter.com\/BIpKA4M3TW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Argentina is the defending World Cup champion and drew a group featuring Algeria, Austria and Jordan. The side\u2019s first group game is June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City. Argentina will play two pre-tournament friendlies in college football stadiums<\/a> in the U.S. on June 6 (vs. Honduras at Texas A&M\u2019s Kyle Field) and June 9 (vs. Iceland at Auburn\u2019s Jordan-Hare Stadium).<\/p>\n Messi, 38, is still viewed as one of the best players in the world and is vital to Argentina\u2019s hopes this summer. He is the back-to-back MLS MVP, the first player in league history to win the award in consecutive years. He has 13 goals and seven assists in 16 matches this year. He has been in his best form of the year heading toward the World Cup, with five goals and seven assists in his last five games, including Sunday.<\/p>\n The global icon has 116 goals in 198 appearances for Argentina.<\/p>\n May 25, 2026<\/p>\n Connections: Sports Edition<\/p>\n Spot the pattern. Connect the terms<\/p>\n Find the hidden link between sports terms<\/p>\n Play today’s puzzle<\/p>\n<\/p>\n