70-foot Lionel Messi statue taken down in Kolkata due to 'safety concerns' after 'swaying in wind'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "70-foot Lionel Messi statue taken down in Kolkata due to 'safety concerns' after 'swaying in wind'")
70-foot Lionel Messi statue taken down in Kolkata due to 'safety concerns' Photograph: (AFP)
Lionel Messi's 70-foot statue in Kolkata was taken down after swaying dangerously in the wind, sparking safety and political debate
A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi was removed in Kolkata on Monday (June 1) after authorities found it was swaying dangerously in strong winds. Hydraulic cranes and ropes were used to dismantle the 21-metre (70-foot) gold-coloured sculpture in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, before it was transported away on an open-top flatbed truck. “The statue was removed on Monday (June 1) afternoon after locals complained it was swaying in the wind,” state lawmaker Sharadwat Mukherjee was quoted as saying to news agency AFP.
Mukherjee said the statue will remain in a government warehouse while officials find a suitable new location. The towering statue, which shows the 38-year-old Argentina captain and Inter Miami star lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December 2025 during Messi's widely publicised GOAT tour of India.
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Lionel Messi is expected to lead Argentina at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host. The World Cup is set to begin on June 11, and the final will be played on July 19. The statue became a topic of political debate following a change in power in West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the recent state election, defeating the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
According to reports, the sculpture was commissioned under the patronage of former chief minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee. It later faced criticism from newly appointed BJP sports minister Nisith Pramanik, who described it as ‘unsightly’. Although cricket remains India's most-loved and widely followed sport, football continues to enjoy popularity across the country. India is currently ranked 142nd in the FIFA world rankings.
Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
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Defending champions Argentina will start their campaign against Algeria on June 17. They will next play Austria on June 22 and finish their group stage against Jordan on June 28.
Squad:
Goalkeepers
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- Geronimo Rulli (Marseille)
- Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid)
Defenders
- Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille)
- Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)
- Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate)
- Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United)
- Cristian Romero (Tottenham)
- Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica)
- Facundo Medina (Marseille)
- Nahuel Molina (Atlético Madrid)
Midfielders
- Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors)
- Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami)
- Valentin Barco (Strasbourg)
- Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis)
- Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Forwards
- Julian Alvarez (Atlético Madrid)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- Nicolas Gonzalez (Atlético Madrid)
- Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid)
- Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid)
- Nico Paz (Como)
- Jose Manuel López (Palmeiras)
- Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
