Messi’s GOAT statue in India to be removed over safety concerns

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionSportVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upSport|FootballMessi’s GOAT statue in India to be removed over safety concernsStatue to honour World Cup winner Lionel Messi, unveiled during his GOAT tour of India, unstable on busy Kolkata road. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoThe statue of Argentinian football player Lionel Messi, remotely unveiled by the player in December, stands at Lake Town, in Kolkata, India [Bikas Das/AP Photo]By AFPPublished On 27 May 202627 May 2026A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi erected in India to mark his visit last year is “swaying in the wind” and will be removed, a lawmaker has said. Workers have scrambled up the 21-metre (70ft) golden-coloured statue in the eastern city of Kolkata in West Bengal, throwing ropes around its shoulders to secure it. The sculpture showing the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami player raising the World Cup trophy was unveiled during Messi’s GOAT Tour (Greatest of all Time Tour) of India in December. But West Bengal state legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee said it was no longer safe. “The statue of the Argentine football legend in the city of Kolkata was found unsafe by engineers of the West Bengal government,” he told the AFP news agency. “We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind.” Workers on Wednesday used ropes to attempt to secure the statue, which looms over a busy road. Mukherjee said it was not clear when it would be brought down. “Removal has proved easier said than done,” he said. “We are planning to remove the statue at the earliest opportunity.” He did not say whether the statue would be re-erected at another site. Argentina is set to begin its World Cup campaign on June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City. Messi has not formally confirmed his plans to play in the World Cup, but is widely expected to return for what would be a record-matching sixth appearance at the tournament. He remains the side’s talisman for the defence of the title they won in Qatar four years ago. India – a nation of 1.4 billion – is a cricket powerhouse, but struggles on the football pitch and is 142nd on the FIFA rankings. Football, however, is the country’s second favourite sport, according to research by data company Nielsen released on Wednesday. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: