A towering 85-foot statue of soccer legend Lionel Messi has been unveiled in Argentina’s Patagonia region to celebrate his 39th birthday. But instead of just honoring the World Cup champion, the monument is drawing viral attention for its unusual design. The statue shows Messi in a knee-slide celebration with a trophy between his thighs, prompting widespread reactions online.
One Twitter user said, “This angle and position is definitely a choice.” Another asked, “Where are the pants?” The new monument now holds the title of the world’s largest statue of a soccer player, surpassing a 70-foot Messi statue in Kolkata, India, which was recently ordered removed after officials said it was unsafe.
