BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina’s love for Lionel Messi has reached new heights during the 2026 World Cup, with a towering steel statue rising over a remote Patagonian town and a fan-signed mural in the suburbs of Buenos Aires drawing attention from the soccer legend himself.
Standing 26 meters tall — roughly 85 feet — the massive figure constructed from 70 tons of steel and iron looms over the edge of Cutral Co, a southern oil-producing town in Patagonia. The sculpture shows Messi on one knee, the 2022 World Cup trophy resting between his legs and one arm lifted skyward, as though welcoming drivers passing along Route 22.
The monument was unveiled on June 16, coinciding with Argentina’s World Cup opener, in which Messi scored three goals to help defeat Algeria. Local officials and the artist behind the work say it is the largest tribute ever built in honor of the team captain, who celebrates his 39th birthday this Wednesday.
Sculptor Aldo Beroisa, 61, spoke about what the project meant to him personally. “He is Argentina’s natural ambassador. For me, it was very important, not only as an artist but as an Argentine,” Beroisa told the Associated Press.
Beroisa has previously crafted oversized dinosaur sculptures and monuments honoring Argentina’s independence heroes in Cutral Co — a town that typically draws far less tourism than other Patagonian destinations known for their scenic lakes and mountains. That is changing now, as visitors pour in to see the statue of the player who has scored 18 goals since his World Cup debut back in 2006. He claimed the record as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer this week, after finding the net twice in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria.
The statue, which required 18 months to build, captures the emotional moment from the 2022 World Cup final at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, when Messi dropped to his knees on the field after Gonzalo Montiel’s decisive penalty kick gave Argentina a 4-2 shootout victory over France. The sculpture also shows Messi gripping Argentina’s jersey in one hand while pointing one finger toward the sky — a signature celebration he performs in memory of his late grandmother.
Meanwhile, in the Buenos Aires suburb of Berazategui, a different kind of tribute has been turning heads. A mural approximately six meters wide and 5.5 meters tall — about 20 by 18 feet — features a hyperrealistic portrait of Messi’s smiling face surrounded by the handwritten names of hundreds of his supporters.
The artwork caught Messi’s attention, prompting him to send a video message to its creators. “Crazy … thank you very much to all of you, to the people who supported it, who came by, and who keep coming by,” Messi said in the recording.
Mural creator Leonel García, 32, was quick to share the credit. “This is a mural that I didn’t make by myself. Beyond the fact that I painted it, it was made by more than 1,300 people,” García said, referring to the fans who traveled from various towns to personally sign their names on the wall.
The work took 18 days to complete. García worked alongside Federico Merodo, who owns the parking lot where the wall used as the canvas is located. Painting a hyperrealistic likeness of one of the world’s most recognizable faces presented an enormous challenge. The image draws inspiration from a moment during a friendly match following Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, when Messi appeared relaxed and genuinely joyful on the field.
“Messi brings joy to the country. The times we’re living through in Argentina may not be very good for some people, but Messi unites everyone … and the mural does that too, because people from everywhere come together here, from every social class and every political sector,” García said.
