A colossal statue of Lionel Messi (38, Inter Miami) has been erected in Argentina.
On the 21st, Argentine sports outlet TyC Sports reported that the world's largest statue of Messi was unveiled. The statue stands 26 meters tall and weighs 70 tons.
The statue of Messi was designed by sculptor Aldo Veroisa and was erected in Cutral Co, Neuquén Province, Argentina, Messi's homeland.
The newly erected statue is 5 meters taller than the 21-meter statue of Messi in India. It is the largest among Messi statues in the world.
Messi is regarded as the world's best soccer player. In Europe, he led four UEFA Champions League titles, three UEFA Super Cup titles, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles. He also, with the national team, experienced the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup championship, the 2014 Brazil World Cup runner-up finish, the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal, and two Copa América titles (2021 and 2024).
This year's North and Central America World Cup is no exception. In the first group-stage match against Algeria, he recorded a hat trick to lead Argentina to victory. With that, he scored his 16th career World Cup goal, tying Miroslav Klose (Germany) for the most goals in World Cup history.