Few footballers have received as many tributes as Lionel Messi, but admirers of the Argentine captain continue to find new ways to celebrate his remarkable career and enduring impact on the game. Messi who turned 39 on Wednesday, just two days after adding another milestone to his illustrious résumé. The……
Few footballers have received as many tributes as Lionel Messi, but admirers of the Argentine captain continue to find new ways to celebrate his remarkable career and enduring impact on the game.
Messi who turned 39 on Wednesday, just two days after adding another milestone to his illustrious résumé. The Argentina star became the outright highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history on Monday when he netted his 17th and 18th tournament goals in a 2-0 victory over Austria national football team, surpassing the previous record held by Miroslav Klose.
According to a report by ESPN, the celebrations surrounding Lionel Messi’s legacy have reached new heights in Argentina. In Cutral Co, a small town in Patagonia, local artists unveiled an enormous 85-foot (26-metre) statue of the World Cup-winning captain, making it one of the largest tributes ever dedicated to the football icon. Constructed with about 70 tonnes of steel, the monument has quickly become a major attraction despite debates over its resemblance to Messi.
The unveiling comes months after another oversized Messi statue grabbed attention in West Bengal during the Argentine star’s promotional visit to India with his Inter Miami CF teammates, including Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul. The 70-foot structure, which had been hailed as the largest statue of a footballer at the time, was later removed after local authorities raised safety concerns.
Explaining the decision, West Bengal lawmaker Sharadwat Mukherjee said, “The statue of the Argentine football legend was found [to be] unsafe. We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind.”
While officials in India reportedly explored plans to relocate and reinstall the monument, Argentina has now claimed the spotlight with an even larger tribute closer to Messi’s homeland.
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Cutral Co, a town better known for oil production than tourism, has witnessed a surge in visitors since the statue was inaugurated on June 16 to coincide with Argentina’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The massive sculpture was created by 61-year-old artist Aldo Beroisa, who spent 18 months completing the project. Known for designing giant dinosaur sculptures and monuments to Argentine historical figures, Beroisa said the Messi tribute carried special significance.
“He is Argentina’s natural ambassador. For me, it was very important, not only as an artist but as an Argentine,” Beroisa told The Associated Press.
The monument recreates one of the most iconic moments of Messi’s career — his emotional celebration after Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. The sculpture shows Messi kneeling on the pitch, clutching his national team jersey while pointing toward the sky, a gesture often associated with tributes to his late grandmother.
The tributes have extended beyond statues. In a suburb of Buenos Aires, artists recently unveiled a large mural of Messi featuring the names of more than 1,300 supporters who travelled from different communities to contribute to the artwork.
Reacting to the project, Messi said in a video message, “Crazy … thank you very much to all of you, to the people who supported it, who came by, and who keep coming by.”
Artist Leonel García, who spent 18 days painting the mural, said the project symbolises the unifying influence Messi continues to have across Argentina.
“This is a mural that I didn’t make by myself. Beyond the fact that I painted it, it was made by more than 1,300 people,” García said. “Messi brings joy to the country … Messi unites everyone … and the mural does that too, because people from everywhere come together here, from every social class and every political sector.”
