Lionel Messi is being honoured in a museum alongside Pele and Diego Maradona – but the likeness is a little larger-than-lifesize!
Messi, who completed his trophy cabinet by winning the World Cup with Argentina in December, stands at 5ft 7in – and looked a little smaller than the life-like figure alongside him at a ceremony in his home nation.
Messi looked emotional as he revealed the statue of himself, which will be housed in the CONMEBOL museum in Paraguay.
And after the ceremony, fans were quick to declare Messi the winner of the ‘statue battle’ against long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s statue – on display outside the airport in his home city of Funchal in Madeira, which is named after him – was the subject of mockery after its unveiling in 2017.
CONMEBOL awarded Lionel Messi a life-sized statue to stand in their museum alongside other South American footballing greats
Messi actually stands a little shorter than his life-like statue, unveiled on Monday night
Cristiano Ronaldo’s statue, unveiled in 2017, only lasted 17 months before it was replaced
Fans took to Twitter to declare the Argentine No 10 the winner of the ‘statue battle’
The bust was later replaced in 2018, 15 months after going on display, by one that was a clear improvement on the first attempt.
However, the original statue has lived a longer life online, and fans of the Argentine superstar were quick to compare the controversial bust to Messi’s new artwork.
One fan pointed out that ‘Messi won the statue battle.’
Another agreed. ‘They really did Ronaldo dirty with his statue compared to Messi’s statue,’ they said.
A third added: ‘A statue for Messi but look at what they did for the other guy.’
One fan was more pointed, saying: ‘If only Ronaldo had a World Cup, they would have paid more attention to sculpting his statue’.
Another Messi fan added: ‘Someone said Messi’s statue is a better player than Ronaldo.’
The sculptor behind the bizarre statue mocked all over the world defended his work in 2017, insisting the Portuguese star likes it.
Emanuel Santos, a former airport cleaner, claimed ‘you can’t please everyone’ as he addressed the ridicule towards the bust.
He also admitted it only took him 15 days to complete the statue after proposing the idea to airport bosses when he found out about the renaming plans.
The former Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has a number of statues in his image, including a second in his hometown which is 8ft tall.
A number of fans pointed out how Messi’s statue was a much stronger likeness than Ronaldo’s
Messi’s statue was unveiled as South America’s governing body for football hosted the entire Argentina team in an event dubbed ‘The Night of the Stars’ on Monday.
The life-sized statue of the No 10 holding the World Cup trophy will stand beside similar statues of Maradona and Pele at the CONMEBOL museum in Luque, Paraguay.
Messi was visibly awestruck as the curtain raised on the statue in front of his team-mates.
Overcome with emotion, the 35 year-old said that the statue was beyond his wildest dreams.
‘I never dreamed or thought about this,’ Messi said. ‘My dream was to enjoy what I liked when I was little, to be a professional soccer player, to do what I always loved in this life.
‘I had a very long road, many decisions and defeats, but I always looked ahead and wanted to go for a triumph, for a victory.
‘I think that the most important thing [is] to fight for your dreams.
‘[To know] that everything is possible and to enjoy the game, which is the most beautiful thing there is.’
The Argentina captain continued to break records after a triumphant World Cup, scoring his 800th career goal on Thursday
Messi was also given the ceremonial ‘baton of football’ by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.
He received the ‘leadership and command of world football’ from the CONMEBOL chief.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was celebrated by the Argentina Football Association the day before the ceremony, when it was revealed that the national team’s training ground would be named in honour of their World Cup-winning captain.
Last week he was forced to leave a restaurant in Buenos Aires while dining with his family after being mobbed by huge crowds.
Messi’s appearance at Palermo restaurant Don Julio shut down the surrounding streets as fans tried to catch a glimpse of their national hero
The No 10 was all smiles as he was escorted out through the pack of adoring fans
Messi, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their children were eating dinner at Don Julio, a restaurant in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, but were unable to end their meal in peace after news spread that he was in the area.
Messi has continued to break records for the Albiceleste since the World Cup success in Qatar.
During Thursday’s friendly against Panama, which also featured a heartfelt tribute by the player to the Argentina fans in Buenos Aires, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his 800th career goal.
With a goal against Curacao on Tuesday, Messi could reach 100 goals for his country alone.
