The Greatest and Most…
December13December 13, 2025

The Greatest and Most…

By In
ESPN Soccer News

This article was originally published in 2020 and has since been revised.

Lionel Messi was warmly welcomed as he arrived in India overnight for a special weekend tour across the nation.

As part of his “GOAT” tour, the 38-year-old plans to visit Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi over three days, joined by two long-time friends: former Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, who both played alongside Messi on the championship-winning Argentina team in the 2022 World Cup.

The tour’s first stop was Kolkata, where Messi—fresh from leading Inter Miami to an impressive MLS Cup victory—visited the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town for a meet-and-greet session and to unveil a massive statue dedicated to him that has been erected in the area.

Messi’s last trip to Kolkata was in 2010, during which Argentina secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Venezuela in India’s first-ever international friendly match. Though he did not score the winning goal, Messi left a lasting impression, inspiring a statue to be erected in his honor.

This statue, believed to be the tallest ever created for a footballer, stands approximately 70 feet tall and depicts Messi raising the World Cup trophy. It reportedly took a dedicated team about 27 days to install the statue in its location.

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Creating a statue in honor of a footballer can yield mixed results, as we have seen over the years. Depending on the artist’s skill and vision, it can either be a remarkable tribute or a comical failure.

It’s essentially a gamble until the moment the covering cloth is removed, as the following examples illustrate.

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THE BEST

Manchester United’s tribute to three of their legendary players—Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Denis Law—is a perfect example of how football statues should be made. This tribute is so iconic that it is even featured in the Lego model of Old Trafford.

Bill Shankly

The statue of Bill Shankly, the manager who secured three league titles at Anfield and set the foundation for Liverpool’s illustrious modern history, greets all Liverpool fans entering the Kop end.

As the captain of both Argentina and Barcelona, Messi was honored with a statue depicting him elegantly maneuvering past defenders on the Paseo de la Gloria (“Walk of Glory”) in Buenos Aires.

Unfortunately, this statue was vandalized just six months after its installation, with thieves making off with the top half of the effigy.

Lionel Messi (again)

A colossal statue of Messi has been erected in the heart of Kolkata, where he played in a friendly match against Venezuela back in 2010. This impressive gold-toned sculpture stands 70 feet tall (nearly 64 feet taller than Messi himself).

While the likeness may not be perfect, credit is due for capturing Messi’s GOAT-worthy beard, and the intricate details on the World Cup trophy (including the green malachite bands on the base) are indeed commendable.

The LA Galaxy succeeded in portraying the dashing looks of their former star with a bronze statue installed in Legend’s Plaza outside Dignity Health Sports Park.

Arsenal boasts several statues outside their stadium, including those of Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, and Herbert Chapman. However, we particularly favor the bronze of Dennis Bergkamp, in which he is depicted jumping through the air—a deliciously ironic touch for a man famously afraid of flying.

Eusebio

At the Estadio da Luz, Benfica has a beautifully crafted bronze statue honoring the legendary striker Eusebio, elegantly paying tribute to one of Portugal‘s most iconic figures.

David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero

Manchester City honored three club legends with stunning statues composed of thousands of welded galvanized steel pieces.


Silva and Kompany’s statues were crafted by artist Andy Scott, with Aguero’s statue added later.

Bobby Moore

As the only England captain to have lifted a World Cup trophy, Bobby Moore’s statue outside Wembley embodies dignity and respect.

Ashton’s World Cup winners

The English town of Ashton-under-Lyne features statues of three players: Sir Geoff Hurst, the hat-trick hero of 1966; his teammate Jimmy Armfield; and, in an unexpected twist, Italy‘s 2006 World Cup winner Simone Perrotta.

This is because Perrotta was born and spent his early childhood in Ashton before moving to Italy and launching his football career, earning him this recognition from Tameside Council in 2010.

Perrotta was completely unaware of his statue until he was informed by his uncle, who still resided in Ashton, seven years later.

Tom Finney splash

To replicate the iconic moment of England legend Finney splashing through a large puddle during a game in 1956, the National Football Museum cleverly incorporated a fountain into the design of the statue.

We think the striker, fondly known as “The Preston Plumber,” would have loved it.

Vicente Aparacio

After lifelong Valencia supporter Vicente Aparacio passed away in 2017, the club honored his dedication by establishing a memorial in his favorite spot: seat 164, row 15 in the Tribuna Central stand at the Mestalla stadium.

THE WORST

Let’s address the elephant in the room: this is arguably the most horrifically inaccurate attempt at capturing anyone’s likeness in bronze history. The bust, unveiled outside the airport named after Ronaldo in Madeira, was subsequently replaced with a more subdued version.

Diego Maradona

The sculptor of this statue in Kolkata seems to have relied on a photograph of Bobby Ewing from “Dallas” instead of authentic imagery of El Diego.

This comically subpar representation of hometown hero Suárez sits outside an office supply store on a nondescript street corner in the Uruguayan city of Salto and is surprisingly smaller than life-sized.

Once you notice the resemblance to Todd Flanders, it’s hard to unsee it.

The people of Albacete expressed understandable concern when a proposal was made to display a naked statue of their most famous footballer. Fortunately, they were relieved to find out that early mock-ups were adjusted, and the final statue featured a small pair of shorts.

Ronaldo

Installed at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon, the reasoning behind the artist’s choice to use a different person’s face for a large statue of the Brazilian great Ronaldo remains unexplained.

Back in 2018, Falcao received a grand 19-foot statue from his hometown in Colombia, but soon it became evident that the townspeople had completely forgotten what their superstar striker looked like after his departure.

George Best

Pat Jennings attempted to appear enthusiastic when unveiling this tribute to his former Northern Ireland teammate outside Windsor Park in 2019. Unfortunately, the features that made Best a footballing heartthrob in the 1960s were poorly captured in this statue.

Michael Essien

Kumasi streets in Ghana have recently been adorned with a series of bizarre statues crafted by the same artist, including odd, angular representations of former Chelsea midfielder Essien and his national teammate Asamoah Gyan.

Ted Bates

Possibly the most notorious statue in football, Southampton unveiled this poorly proportioned tribute to their former player, manager, director, and club president back in 2007. Unfortunately, it garnered so much backlash from fans that the club had to invest in a new statue just a year later.