How was Lionel Messi injured?

Lionel Messi is no stranger to strong tackles, he's a player who holds the ball, dribbles and sprints. He has a low centre of gravity and is difficult to disposess him so the only means to retrieve the ball from him many times is to hack him down. Messi recently suffered an horror tackle in a World Cup qualifier match for Argentina against Venezuela.

The horror tackle against Venezuela

Lionel Messi suffered what it could have been a leg breaker and a career ending injury against Venezuela. Messi dribbled past Venezuelan defender Luis Martinez who lunged his stud into his shin. The initial reaction from Messi was not good which made everyone worried that he had suffered a serious injury.

What happened after the tackle?

The effect of the tackle wasn't as serious as first feared. Messi was attended to by the Argentine national team medics and was passed okay to continue the match, he went on to complete the full 90mins in the 3-1 win but did not score in the match. Luis Martinez who was initially given a yellow card was shown a red card after VAR review.

Messi played Copa America final with injury

Lionel Messi captained Argentina to Copa America glory in July, the country's first since 1993 and his first senior international trophy. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni revealed after the tournament that Messi played through injury. An image also circulated on social media of Messi's socks stained in blood after tackles.