Lionel Messi limped out of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Mexican club Necaxa after just 10 minutes on Saturday with an apparent leg injury.
Messi was sent tumbling to the turf four minutes earlier, when he was involved in a collision with Necaxa defender Alexis Pena at the top of the visitors’ penalty area at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
The living legend, who celebrated his 38th birthday last month, tried to continue. Messi needed to be treated by Miami’s training staff on the pitch before walking slowly to the sideline and then to the Herons’ dressing room. He was replaced by fellow Argentine Federico Redondo.
Jordi Alba had the tying goal on a header that made it 2-2 in the second minute of stoppage time to force the shootout, which Inter Miami won 5-4.
Inter Miami converted all five of its penalty kicks, and goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo denied Tomás Badaloni in the third round of the shootout. Suárez hit the winning shot into the top left corner.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the match that Messi was not necessarily in pain but felt a pull. He indicated that Messi will be examined on Sunday to determine the severity of the injury.
“There’s probably something there,” Mascherano said through an interpreter.
Miami opened the scoring seconds after Messi exited, with Herons newcomer Rodrigo De Paul — Messi’s teammate on Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad — setting up Venezuelan attacker Talasco Segovia’s blast from outside the box. It was De Paul’s first assist for his new club.
The night soon took another wrong turn for the hosts, though, as Inter defender Maximiliano Falcon was shown a straight red card in the 17th minute. Necaxa would capitalize on their man advantage by equalizing before the first half was finished.
Inter Miami, the 2023 Leagues Cup champion, also won its 2025 competition opener 2-1 over Atlas last Wednesday. The Herons round out the first phase of the competition, which includes 18 MLS representatives and all 18 teams from Liga MX on Aug. 6 against UNAM Pumas.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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