Lionel Messi's statue vandalised and cut in half less than a year after it was erected

Much to the dismay of Lionel Messi's fans who first had to concede the FIFA title to Cristiano Ronaldo, they now have to deal with a severed statue of the Barcelona star. A statue of Lionel Messi erected at Argentina's capital Buenos Aires has been destroyed by vandals.

The statue was unveiled in 2016 by city mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta at the Rio de la Plata as part of a 'Glory Walkway' honouring Argentine sport stars.

"The statue



of Lionel Messi fell victim to an act of vandalism that left the footballer's sculpture without its top half," the Buenos Aires city government said.

The statue had been erected by the government to try and convince Messi to step back on his decision of international retirement after the shocking defeat in the Copa America finale.

However, the government has decided that they will repair the statue back to its original form.