Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Sculptures of soccer players are often seen in various places. Players like David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, and Neymar have also had their statues made. Numerous statues of Lionel Messi have been made in different locations. There is one in the Barcelona museum, one in Buenos Aires, and even one in Kerela, India. Most recently, a new wax statue of Messi has been made in Brazil.
Fans feel Messi was disrespected with a statue that doesn’t look like him
Lionel Messi’s recent wax statue in Brazil has been grabbing the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Although wax statues cannot be made like exact replicas, Messi’s new statue looks like almost anything other than Lionel Messi.
The image of the statue has gone viral, while memes and hilarious reactions from the Netizens are flooding the Internet. Fans of the Paris Saint-Germain star have not taken this incident kindly. They feel that the statue disrespects Messi.
Here’s a look at the various reactions of the fans regarding Lionel Messi’s new wax statue.
😭😭😂🤣💀 is that Larry bird ? Jackie Chan ? Paul McCartney ? Owen Wilson ?🤦🏿♂️😭😭 https://t.co/WRsydk04vA
— Steph_LFC (@lfc_curry) December 8, 2022
I know they did this on purpose https://t.co/yTNvKIwxgv
— Matter World Piece (@solzee_mak) December 8, 2022
Lmao they can’t be serious https://t.co/OlZadB6aMS
— Phume (@phume22) December 8, 2022
Disrespect 💀🤪 https://t.co/Q7QiWd1Ebt
— Kayla (@kmmorrison19) December 8, 2022
Looks like Paul McCartney https://t.co/xJ44zJfD3F
— Colin Harris (@Colinmharris) December 8, 2022
This is not the first time that there has been controversy regarding a Lionel Messi statue. The incident took place in 2017, when a Lionel Messi statue in Buenos Aires was vandalized which caused a huge hue and cry. Messi’s statue was installed shortly after Argentina’s loss to Chile in the 2017 Copa America final.
Messi also announced his retirement after the final, although he did come back to the national team a few months after. However, the Buenos Aires government later promised to restore the statue.
Fans feel Messi was disrespected with a statue that doesn’t look like him
Messi’s recent wax statue is situated in Brazil, the arch-rivals of Argentina. The statue is installed in a museum in a city named Foz do Iguacu.
This new life-size Lionel Messi wax figure in Brazil 😳 pic.twitter.com/zBXxliNIsO
— GOAL (@goal) December 8, 2022
Brazil and Argentina may face each other in the FIFA World Cup semifinal if they win their respective quarter final matches. Brazil will face Croatia in the quarter final, while Messi’s Argentina face Netherlands. The two South American powerhouses faced each other in the Copa America final in 2021, where Argentina emerged victorious.
It will be interesting to see whether Neymar’s Brazil gets their revenge over Argentina, or whether Messi finally get his hands on the World Cup trophy.