Messi is our stuff: six months after India’s homage on the occasion of the GOAT Tour, Argentina responds with a new record-breaking statue for Pulga. In fact, in December, a 21 meter sculpture was inaugurated in Calcutta to celebrate the champion from Rosario. Today, however, the primacy passes to Neuquén, a city in the heart of Argentine Patagonia, which entrusted the work to local artist Aldo Beroisa. The new monument reaches 26 meters in height, officially becoming the tallest football-themed statue in the world. This is yet another tribute to a champion who, in his homeland, has now taken on a legendary dimension. To welcome the work, a sea of cheering fans with chants and smartphones raised to the sky: yet another demonstration of the visceral love that the Argentine people reserve for him after a career studded with successes and consecrated by the World Cup triumph. But the celebrations don’t stop at the murals or monuments that color the country. The bond between the champion and his homeland has already gone beyond the confines of the pitch: just think that the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino has even named its federal sports center after him, the home of all the national selections. A monumental privilege, reserved only for those who have rewritten the history of the Albiceleste. Because in Argentina today, Lionel Messi is no longer just a record-breaking champion, but also an eternal symbol of national identity.
