Lionel Messi to Unveil New Statue of Himself — and It’s Six Times Bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo’s

Lionel Messi is set to be celebrated in India with the biggest statue of a footballer anywhere in the world.

The Argentine icon, fresh from leading Inter Miami to their first-ever MLS Cup triumph, will travel to India this week for a three-day ‘GOAT Tour’. The centrepiece of his visit will be the unveiling of a colossal 70-foot statue in Kolkata — more than six times taller than the most famous statue of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The sculpture, created by a 45-strong team over 27 days, is designed as a tribute to Messi’s unparalleled global influence and his enduring connection with Indian fans.

Lionel Messi to visit India on ‘GOAT Tour’

Messi will arrive in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday morning before beginning a packed schedule across four major cities: Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

He will be joined on the tour by long-time strike partner Luis Suarez and Argentina team-mate Rodrigo De Paul. Events include meet-and-greets, football exhibitions, charity appearances, a fashion show and a high-profile meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fans will also be able to visit the ‘Hola Messi’ fan zone — complete with a life-sized Messi sitting on a throne, recreations of his trophy cabinet and even a replica of his Inter Miami home.

Organisers say Messi will be “shocked to see how he is worshipped” in Kolkata and across India.

How Messi’s new statue compares to Cristiano Ronaldo’s

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are regarded as the two greatest footballers of all time. They have been compared in almost every possible metric for nearly two decades — although Lamine Yamal and Estevao were recently touted as the next Messi and Ronaldo.

It is therefore inevitable that their statues are compared too.

Ronaldo has several statues worldwide, but the most iconic is the bronze figure outside the CR7 Museum in Madeira. That sculpture stands at around 11 feet tall — making it one foot shorter than the temporary 12-foot Ronaldo statue that once appeared in New York’s Times Square.

With Messi’s new monument reaching 70 feet, it towers more than six times higher than Ronaldo’s most famous statue — a symbolic victory in one of football’s longest-running debates.

Messi to celebrate MLS success in India

Messi’s trip to India comes just days after another historic achievement in his extraordinary career.

The Inter Miami captain led his side to their first-ever MLS Cup. He contributed six goals and nine assists in the playoffs, including a starring role in the final, where Messi defied his poor head-to-head record against Thomas Muller. The German forward’s Vancouver Whitecaps side were beaten 3-1.

He claimed the Golden Boot with 29 goals in 28 league games and finished the regular season with 48 goal contributions, before adding 15 more in the playoffs.

His performances across the entire campaign saw him named MLS MVP for the second consecutive year, making him the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back MVP awards.

Next on his horizon is a far greater challenge: becoming the first men’s captain in history to win the FIFA World Cup in back-to-back tournaments.