JAKARTA – Lionel Messi left the field in the 73rd minute in Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia Union at Nu Stadium on Monday, May 25, 2026 WIB, heading straight to the locker room after holding his left thigh.
The Inter Miami captain held his left thigh in the 70th minute after taking a free kick. He asked for a substitution and was replaced by Mateo Silvetti.
Messi did not require any additional assistance as he left the field or headed to the locker room.
“As far as I know, we haven’t had any reports about that, but he’s really exhausted. That’s exhaustion. Yeah, it’s exhaustion.”
“He was tired, the pitch was hard, and rather than hesitate, you always say not to take risks,” said Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos after the match.
Hoyos added that he had not spoken to Messi after the game.
The rare substitution for the Inter Miami star ahead of the start of the 2026 World Cup covered a big comeback win and an eight-goal record in the first half.
Union were 2-0 up thanks to two goals from Milan Iloski – one from open play and one from the penalty spot – before German Berterame pounced on a Messi cross to score into an empty net and cut the deficit.
Union restored their two-goal lead a few minutes later when Bruno Damiani was able to outwit Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
Inter Miami bounced back after conceding the third goal from Union. Luis Suarez scored, then Berterame added his second goal. Suarez scored again to give the home team a 4-3 lead.
Shortly before the break, Sergio Reguilon was ruled to have committed handball after a VAR review, which led to Iloski’s third goal to level the score at 4-4.
Both teams entered the break after the first half with the highest score in MLS (Major League Soccer) history.
The second half started with heavy rain and the game slowed down, with both teams not producing as many chances as the first 45 minutes.
Minutes after Messi left the field, Suarez scored his third goal of the game from Berterame’s pass to give Inter Miami a 5-4 lead in the 81st minute.
Messi’s teammate in Argentina, Rodrigo De Paul, added Inter Miami’s sixth goal that night. The final score total matched the second highest score record in a regular season match of all time.
MLS will now undergo a long break as players prepare for the 2026 World Cup this summer, with teams returning to the field in late July 2026.
With this victory, Inter Miami entered the break in second place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 31 points, two points behind leader Nashville.
Meanwhile, Argentina has not announced the 2026 World Cup squad, but Messi is expected to participate for the defending champions. They will start the Group J match against Algeria on June 16, 2026.
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