A 21 meter golden Lionel Messi statue in India was dismantled after just five months because it began dangerously swaying in the wind.
Bound by heavy-duty nylon ropes around its golden shoulders and torso, the tallest statue of a footballer in the world looked less like a monument to a sporting God and more like a giant captive.
On Monday, June 1, a 21-meter statue of Lionel Messi in Kolkata's Lake Town was taken down by hydraulic cranes.
Loaded onto a flatbed truck like oversized cargo, the towering sculpture of the Inter Miami and Argentina icon was driven away to a government warehouse.
Just five months after its grand, chaotic unveiling, the monument that was meant to solidify India’s undying love for the beautiful game became an immediate public hazard.
