Lionel Messi played Copa America final with injury, reveals Argentina coach

Messi, winner of the FIFA Player of the Year award a record six times, has won every club and individual honour with Barcelona but he had lost all four of his previous finals with Argentina.

RIO DE JANEIRO: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni paid tribute to Lionel Messi on Sunday, praising his team captain and revealing he played in the Copa America win over Brazil with an injury. "If you knew the way that he played in Copa America you’d love him even more,” Scaloni told reporters after Argentina’s 1-0 win at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. “You can never do without a player like him, even when he is not fully fit like in this game and the previous one.”