Messi's new 85-foot statue in Patagonia is trending for all of the wrong reasons

You might be wondering why Lionel Messi was trending across social media on June 26, and it's not because Argentina won another match at the FIFA World Cup. The football legend, who recently celebrated his 39th birthday on June 24, was honored with an 85ft statue in Cutral Có, a small town in Patagonia, with a very suggestive angle.

Messi is seen wearing his Argentina jersey on the statue as he towers over the World Cup trophy that is positioned right in front of his groin. His legs are spread in a celebration pose as he puts one finger up into the sky. However, with the positioning of the trophy at such a suggestive angle, especially from the back, social media is having a field day with the statue.

"Very accurate statue I see," one fan wrote on X. 

Very accurate statue I see pic.twitter.com/2gUhqTWZ7o

"They had to think about the view from the back right," another fan wrote on X.

One fan asked, "Who approved this?" adding laughing emojis.

The trophy was sculpted by Aldo Beroisa, who told the Associated Press, “He is Argentina’s natural ambassador. For me, it was very important, not only as an artist but as an Argentine.”

This is not the first time that a Messi statue has made headlines. In 2016, a bronze figure of the football superstar was damaged when vandals stole several parts of the statue, including his head, body, and arms. His 70-ft statue in Kolkata was taken down in December after it began swaying, raising safety concerns. 

This 85ft statue is now the tallest honoring Messi. 

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