Lionel Messi: Giant Statue of World Cup Winner Built Outside Restaurant in Kerala, India

• Lionel Messi’s influence has grown since winning the 2022 World Cup
• Since then he has won the Ballon d’Or award and The Best FIFA award
• Messi fans in Kerala, India, have honoured his successes with a statue

Lionel Messi continues to be immortalised in different ways since leading Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title in Qatar, with the latest coming from fans in India.

Prior to winning the World Cup, Messi had won it all in football but the ultimate prize eluded him, having reached the final in Brazil in 2014 before losing out to Germany.

The 2022 edition looked like another disappointing campaign in the bag when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia on the opening day but they later beat France in the final.

Messi has become a subject of many honours and controversies since then, with many fans still believing the tournament was rigged in his favour, even a year on.

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Fans erect Messi's statue in India

Conversely, several statues have been unveiled worldwide in recent years, including at the Argentina Football Association headquarters and his hometown of Rosario.

Per a video making rounds on social media, fans in Kerala have unveiled a giant full-body statue of Messi in his national team colours, holding the World Cup trophy.

The former Barcelona captain had a successful first year at Inter Miami after switching from Paris Saint-Germain. He helped the club win their first-ever trophy - the inaugural Leagues Cup.

He is currently on vacation in Rosario, where he and his family will celebrate Christmas. Per BR Football, he will return to pre-season in January when the Herons join the Riyadh Season Cup.

Messi will face long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The two stars last met when PSG played the Saudi giants in the same competition in January 2023.

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Messi gets world’s largest mural

Sports Brief previously reported that Messi had the world’s largest mural erected in his home province of Santa Fe, Argentina, in honour of his exploits at the World Cup.

Artist Andres Iglesias made the 75x40-metre painting featuring the former Barcelona captain holding the World Cup trophy, with the piece inaugurated later in the year.