Messi Injury Scare: Argentina Star Subbed Off With Leg Concern Three Weeks Before World Cup

The football world held its breath on Sunday as **Lionel Messi** — the greatest player of his generation and the beating heart of Argentina's World Cup ambitions — was substituted off in the 73rd minute of Inter Miami's match against Philadelphia Union with an apparent left leg concern.

In the 70th minute, after taking a free kick, Messi was seen clutching the upper part of his left thigh. He immediately gestured to the bench, and Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos made the substitution. Messi had delivered a brilliant performance up to that point, providing **two assists** before the concern emerged.

Hoyos was carefully measured in his post-match comments: "It was fatigue. We are not going to take any risks with him. He told me he felt something and we took him off as a precaution." He refused to characterize it as an injury, noting that Messi himself requested the change.

Within hours, reliable Argentine journalist **Gastón Edul** — one of the most trusted sources on Messi matters — reported that the 37-year-old does **not have a muscular injury** and that the substitution was precautionary. Argentina's medical staff are monitoring him closely. He is expected to report to the national team camp within days.

Argentina open their Group J campaign on **June 14** against Albania at MetLife Stadium. For Messi, this is almost certainly his final World Cup. After winning everything in football — including the 2022 World Cup that completed his legacy — he arrives in 2026 as the tournament's defining figure, the player every neutral wants to see lift the trophy one last time.

The precautionary substitution, if it turns out to be nothing more, will be quickly forgotten. But in a tournament where every match carries the weight of history, even the smallest injury scare involving Messi becomes the biggest story in the world.