While Lionel Messi continues to set the FIFA World Cup blaze in the United States, back home in Argentina, a towering new tribute to the maestro is sparking a completely different kind of firestorm across social media.
A monstrous 85-foot figure of the Argentine captain now looms over the outskirts of Cutral Co, a remote oil-producing town in the southern windy plains of Patagonia. Sculpted from 70 tonnes of steel and iron, the monument depicts the legendary forward on his knees, greeting long-distance trucks and motorists travelling along Route 22, a lonely, barren highway that feels much like a desolate stretch of the national highways running through the Rajasthan desert.
The timing of its inauguration on 16 June was poetic, coinciding with Argentina’s current World Cup campaign, where a 39-year-old Messi recently rolled back the years with a dazzling hat-trick against Algeria, followed by a brace against Austria to become the tournament’s all-time top scorer with 18 goals.
Yet, while local authorities boast that it comfortably eclipses the now-dismantled 70-foot statue unveiled during Messi’s iconic ‘GOAT tour’ in Kolkata, football purists on X have been left entirely unimpressed by the sheer scale, and anatomy, of the Patagonian colossus.
While tourists are reportedly flocking to the remote town to catch a glimpse, digital commentators have spent the week dissecting the statue’s distinct lack of aesthetic finesse. Chief among the complaints is the bizarrely smooth lower half, which critics argue completely lacks the anatomical detail found in the upper torso and face.
‘MOCK HIM WITH THAT STATUE?’
However, the real storm centres around the position of the golden World Cup trophy. The sculptor chose to place the iconic silverware squarely between Messi’s thighs as he kneels on the metal grass.
The resulting imagery has triggered a wave of hilarious reactions online, with fans pointing out that the placement looks less like a historic sporting triumph and more like an awkward comedy of errors.
“Are they actually trying to mock him by making this statue, or what? Especially from this angle?” one viral post on X, while others suggested the statue’s lower half looked more like a giant abstract monolith than the world’s greatest footballer.
Despite the digital mockery, the local community remains fiercely proud. For Cutral Co – a town previously famous only for giant dinosaur replicas and independence monuments – the statue has finally put them on the tourist map.
“He is Argentina’s natural ambassador. For me, it was very important, not only as an artist but as an Argentine,” the 61-year-old sculptor, Beroisa, told The Associated Press, remaining entirely unbothered by the internet’s anatomical critiques.
While fans debate his metal likeness in Patagonia, the real-life Messi is delivering a masterclass on the pitches of North America, ensuring that his final global tournament is a record-shattering spectacle. The 38-year-old maestro has been in red-hot form, spearheading Argentina’s smooth progression into the knockout rounds with a tournament-leading five goals in just two group matches.
After opening his campaign with a dazzling hat-trick against Algeria, Messi created football history in Dallas against Austria. Despite missing an early penalty, he rebounded with a sublime brace to seal a 2-0 victory, overtaking Germany’s Miroslav Klose to become the all-time top scorer in men’s FIFA World Cup history with 18 goals.
Scoring in his sixth consecutive World Cup match, the Argentine captain is playing with the urgency of a man completely unbothered by age, leaving international defences in tatters and proving that no statue – no matter how giant or anatomically awkward – can fully capture his on-field genius.
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Published By:
Akshay Ramesh
Published On:
Jun 25, 2026 15:53 IST
