A 70ft (21-metre) golden statue of Lionel Messi in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, has been deemed unsafe after it was found swaying in the wind, state authorities said today [1, 2, 3].
The statue was erected in December 2025 during Messi's GOAT (Greatest of All Time) tour of India and unveiled virtually by the footballer himself, who pressed a remote button to launch it [1].
Residents near the site lodged complaints about the statue's instability on Monday, May 25. Engineers from the West Bengal Public Works Department inspected the structure and confirmed it posed a safety risk [1]. Sharadwat Mukherjee, a West Bengal legislator, said, "The statue of the Argentine football legend was found [to be] unsafe. We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind" [1, 2].
By Wednesday, May 27, workers secured the statue with heavy-duty nylon ropes and barricades to keep onlookers and passing traffic away from the area [2, 3]. Officials said removal has proved difficult due to the statue's proximity to a busy road and subway, complicating logistics [1, 2]. Mukherjee added, "Removal has proved easier said than done. We are planning to remove the statue at the earliest opportunity" [2].
The 70ft statue took 27 days to assemble with a crew of 45 people involved [1]. It remains unclear if authorities will relocate or reinstall the statue at another site [2, 3].
Messi, now aged 38, is expected to participate in the 2026 June-July World Cup in what will be his sixth appearance [2, 3]. His visit to Kolkata in late 2025 was overshadowed by violence during an appearance at Salt Lake Stadium [1, 3].
Officials have not announced a precise date for dismantling the statue but said it will be removed as soon as possible [1, 2, 3].
