Messi Statue Vandalised for Second Time This Year

Messi Statue Vandalised for Second Time This Year
Vandals have knocked over a statue of Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi in Buenos Aires for the second time this year.

Vandals have knocked over a statue of Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi in Buenos Aires for the second time this year.

Photos on Sunday posted on social media showed the sculpture lying on its side on the pavement, having been chopped off at its ankles, reports Xinhua news agency.

Police said they had no information about the identity of the perpetrators.

In January, the monument was cut in half from the waist up before being repaired and re-erected by the city government days later.

City Hall said they do not know who was responsible or the motive for the damage.

“It was the victim of an act of vandalism,” the city’s culture secretariat had said then.

The statue was unveiled in June shortly after Argentina lost the final of the Copa America Centenario to Chile on penalties, a defeat that prompted Messi to say he was quitting the national team.

The Barcelona forward is widely loved in his homeland.

He does, however, have his detractors, notably those who are critical of his performances for Argentina, who have lost three major finals in two years, including at the 2014 World Cup.

The statue is located on a riverside promenade known as the Walkway of Glory in the Buenos Aires port district of Puerto Madero.

It is flanked by sculptures of other Argentine sporting greats such as Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio and 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona.
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