A new statue for the football legend Messi has been uncovered butthe odd placement of a massive World Cup trophy between his legs has caused the internet to laugh at the spectacle
A new 85ft statue of Lionel Messi has raised eyebrows – because a giant World Cup is covering his tackle. Crafted by local artists from 70 tons of steel it was erected in Cutral Có – a remote town in Patagonia, Argentina – in honour of the nation’s hero.
Messi is shown raising one hand in the air, a finger pointing to the sky, in an apparent goal celebration. But it is the position of the trophy – which Argentina won in Qatar four years ago – that has sparked sniggers.
Given the World Cup’s shape, its provocative placement between Messi’s legs has caused much merriment. Aldo Beroisa, 61, the statue’s local sculptor, said: “He is Argentina’s natural ambassador. For me it was very important, not only as an artist but as an Argentine.”
The statue is the tallest built to honour Messi surpassing the 70ft one erected in Kolkata last December later taken down for safety reasons after it was spotted swaying in the wind.
That was not the first time a Messi statue failed to stand the test of time. A bronze unveiled in Buenos Aires in 2016 had its head, arms and body stolen by vandals. While in 2017 a Luis Suárez statue in Salto, Uruguay, was tipped off its metal base.
One social media commenter grilled design of the statue and said: “If I were Messi, I would personally hired a hitman to take care of the architect of the statute.”
Another stated “The Dwyane and Cristiano Ronaldo statue can rest now. Messi officially has the worst sports statue ever. ”
A third asked: “How does this go through rounds of approval and not one person stops and says: ‘This 85ft statue of Lionel Messi look like he’s riding the World Cup trophy cowgirl’.”
Messi’s saucy statue is not the first artistic own goal involving footballers. In 2017 a bust of Ronaldo unveiled at Madeira airport was mocked for the Portugal icon’s squashed features and pained expression.
A sculpture of Mohamed Salah revealed in 2018 was also derided for looking more like Art Garfunkel.
While a £102,000 statue honouring Southampton legend Ted Bates unveiled in 2007 was pulled after less than a week because it looked nothing like him and the limbs were out of proportion.
A £7,200 sculpture of England captain Harry Kane sat in storage for five years because Waltham Forest Council could not find a suitable location for it until 2024.
When the metallic Kane was finally positioned at Peter May Sports Centre in Walthamstow, it was criticised as unflattering.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .