Argentina Immortalizes Lionel Messi With a Statue That’s Long and Hard

For nearly all of his 22-year career, Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi has yielded one fantastic run after another, thus immortalizing his time on the pitch with endless accolades, goals, and championships abound. On the flip side, the man just can’t seem to catch a break regarding attempts to honor his legacy.

In 2017, a statue of Messi in Bueno Aires was taken down after being regularly decapitated and vandalized. Earlier this month, another 70-ft. statue of him in India was taken down amid safety concerns after it was spotted swaying around in the wind. And while a newer statue of him was just unveiled Wednesday, it’s brought with it some… big observations. 

The statue, which was built in the 18 months leading up to Messi’s 39th birthday this week, is now standing proudly in Cultral Có as the biggest statue of him yet, at 85 ft. and 70 tons. While it’s been remarked as notable for its size alone, it also features a hard-to-ignore giant, bulging trophy between his seemingly bare legs. Good for him!

Argentina unveils giant Lionel Messi statue in Patagonia during World Cup pic.twitter.com/dfx9cPKV7H

— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) June 25, 2026

 

The statue received widespread reaction on social media, namely for the way the, er, statue was erected. “They got Messi bouncing on it,” one Twitter user wrote. “Who signed this off?” another tweeted. “messi looking like that ronaldo statue somehow,” someone added on BlueSky, referencing a 2017 bust of Cristiano Ronaldo that went viral for depicting the player with hilariously unhinged eyes.

Notably, the Messi statue seems to be a recreation of his victory pose after scoring a game-making goal against France in the 2022 World Cup, during which he clutched at his jersey and pointed to the sky. But while sculptor Aldo Beroisa managed to paint on Messi’s classic blue-and-white striped jersey, he left the player’s legs with zero paint—leaving behind the illusion that he’s Winnie the Pooh’ing it. Fingers crossed until Messi uses ChatGPT to add in those details, I guess.

View from behind is even better / worse [delete as appropriate]

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— Grumpelstiltskin (@maxwellshabbsby.bsky.social) June 26, 2026 at 1:25 AM

 

All things considered, if ever the creators of this statue had in mind that it would defeat threats of vandalism, decapitation, and swaying all in one go, it seems they’ve—for now!—succeeded. But maybe next time, it’s worth paying tribute to the GOAT by having a good ol’ Fernet con coca instead.