New Delhi, December 12 (EFE). – Calcutta will inaugurate this Saturday what local authorities consider to be the tallest statue in the world dedicated to Lionel Messi: a 70-foot or more than 20-meter-tall iron structure erected by a sports club in the city to mark the Argentine footballer’s arrival in India.
Located in the Lake Town district, the work depicts Messi as a world champion and was completed in about 40 days, according to the authors, with final finishing work still underway.
The inauguration marks the start of the Argentine player’s visit to India as part of the ‘GOAT Tour’, which will see Messi travel to some of the country’s most important cities over three days – first Kolkata, then Hyderabad, Bombay and New Delhi.
West Bengal Minister Sujit Bose, who is also the president of the hosting club, noted that no other statue of comparable size was dedicated to the player. Bose recalled that the same club had previously paid tribute to football figures who visited Kolkata such as Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
“This is a 70-foot-tall statue. There is no other statue of Messi that big. We built it in 40 days,” Bose told local media.
Organizers explained that the inauguration would take place virtually as Messi could not travel for security and public order reasons, although his arrival in the city was planned as part of his visit to the country.
The local club that organized the build, Sree Bhumi Sporting Club, assured that the honor was intended to recognize the player’s wide following in West Bengal, a region with a deep-rooted football tradition.
Support for Messi in the region is a consolidated phenomenon in Bengal – both on the Indian side and in Bangladesh – where Argentine football and the striker’s figure achieve high profile and his matches usually attract large numbers of fans.
During the tour, Messi will inaugurate the statue and a mural dedicated to his figure in Kolkata, play a celebrity match in Hyderabad, attend a charity event in Bombay and hold meetings with authorities and young footballers in various cities, according to the preliminary program released by the organization. EFE
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