Lionel Messi was taken off in the second half of Argentina's 1-0 friendly defeat of Honduras on Friday with a bruised lower back.

The Barcelona star collapsed on the ground after a knee to his torso and was seen holding his back as he gingerly walked off the field in the 64th minute.

Television cameras then showed trainers rubbing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's lower back on the sidelines before taking him into the tunnel.

Messi sufrió un fuerte hematoma en la zona lumbar, aunque no llega a ser fisura. pic.twitter.com/w7ZrsSvjmf - SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) May 28, 2016

Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega came on as Messi's replacement.

Tests performed after the match revealed the 28-year-old has a deep bruise in his lumbar region.

Lionel Messi was forced off in Argentina's friendly against Honduras. Associated Press

It was reported earlier on Friday that Messi is scheduled to fly to Spain on Saturday to appear before a judge at the Audiencia de Barcelona on June 2.

He is then expected to fly directly to Santa Clara, California, to rejoin the team for Copa America preparations.