Copa America: Lavezzi thanks fans for support after injury

Buenos Aires, June 23 (IANS) Argentine forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who seriously injured his left elbow during his team's victory against the United States in the semi-finals of the ongoing Copa America Centenario football tournament, has thanked fans via social media for the support he received.

Lavezzi, who plays for Hebei Fortune in the Chinese Super League, wrote a message in Spanish and English on his Facebook wall on Wednesday which was replicated on his official Twitter account. The message thanked fans for their messages of support, reports Xinhua.

"Hello everyone. I want to thank you for your concern. It was very nice to receive so many warm messages," began Lavezzi's message.

"Like the medical team stated, I had a fracture-dislocation on my left elbow and will have surgery. I won't be able to play the final, but will be there to support my teammates! Let's go, Argentina!" ended Lavezzi's post along with a photo of himself smiling with his arm in a cast and sling.

During Tuesday's match, Lavezzi scored Argentina's first goal in their 4-0 victory against the United States. However, he was injured in an unusual incident. In the 64th minute, while he was trying to prevent the ball from going out, he fell and flipped over a digital advertising board head-first.

The former Paris Saint-Germain winger was substituted and will miss the final on Sunday which will be against Chile, who beat Columbia 2-0 in Wednesday's semi-final.

The 31-year-old is one of the Argentine players that wanted to put an end to the national team's negative run of 23 years without an official trophy.

With the national team, Lavezzi also played in the Copa America tournaments in 2011 and 2015 and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he played six matches, including the final, where Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany in extra time.

In total, the player, born in the province of Santa Fe just like Argentina's talismanic forward Lionel Messi, has played in 50 matches for his national team with eight goals and 11 assists.

When Lavezzi moved from France's Paris Saint-Germain to Hebei Fortune in February, he became the first Argentine player to be called up to play for his national team while playing in the Asian country.

--IANS

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