A new 85-foot statue honoring soccer icon Lionel Messi is turning heads for all the wrong reasons. The statue, located in Patagonia, Argentina, depicts Messi in shorts kneeling over a World Cup trophy positioned between his legs. From behind, however, the scene, meant to honor the country’s 2022 World Cup win, appears less celebratory than intended. “Looks like reverse cowgirl,” wrote one fan on Instagram. “Oh my... This is Messy,” another quipped. A third commented, “Whoever approved this is a secret Ronaldo fan,” referencing Messi’s famous rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. The local Argentine artist behind the newest Messi-likeness was focused on capturing the famed soccer player’s face. “All the public opinion’s eyes are going to be on the face. If I don’t get the face right, everything I built falls apart,” Berosia said in an interview with The New York Times. Previously known for creating dinosaur and Jesus Christ statues, the artist explained how challenging it is to draw inspiration from a real-life star. “You can manage to convey what Christ looked like, or in the Last Supper—what the apostles looked like is open to interpretation. But with this one, you can’t make a mistake. Messi is Messi.”




















