"Lionel Messi received a hero's welcome when he touched down in India overnight to embark on a special, weekend-long tour of the country. As part of the so-called "GOAT" tour, the 38-year-old is visiting Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi over the course of three days, accompanied by two old friends in the shape of former Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, who played alongside Messi in Argentina's World Cup winning side of 2022."
"While he didn't score the decisive goal, the mercurial maestro obviously made enough of an impression to inspire a statue to be placed in the city in his honor. Thought to be the tallest statue ever created of a footballer, the effigy is approximately 70-feet tall and features Messi hoisting the World Cup trophy aloft. It also reportedly took a dedicated crew some 27 days to install in situ."
Lionel Messi arrived in India for a three-day 'GOAT' tour visiting Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, accompanied by former Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez and Argentina World Cup teammate Rodrigo De Paul. The tour's first stop was Kolkata, where Messi attended a meet-and-greet at the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club and unveiled a gigantic statue installed in the district. The statue is estimated at around 70 feet tall and reportedly took about 27 days to install. Messi previously visited Kolkata in 2010 for an Argentina friendly. Statues of footballers often draw mixed reactions depending on artistic execution.
Read at ESPN.com
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