"We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind." That's not a metaphor — it's West Bengal legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee describing what's happening to Kolkata's 70-foot golden Lionel Messi statue, which is now being prepared for removal less than five months after it went up.
Engineers from West Bengal's Public Works Department inspected the fibreglass and iron structure after residents near VIP Road in Lake Town raised concerns about visible movement during strong winds. Their verdict: structurally compromised. The statue, depicting Messi holding the 2022 World Cup trophy, needs to come down.
Forty-five workers spent 27 days putting it up. Taking it down is proving considerably harder. Mukherjee was candid about that: "Removal has proved easier said than done." The statue sits beside a busy road near a subway area, which means any dismantling operation requires significant traffic management. Workers were already spotted on Tuesday climbing the structure and wrapping heavy-duty nylon ropes around its shoulders just to stabilise it temporarily, with barricades going up around the site to keep pedestrians and vehicles clear.
A chaotic chapter for the whole Messi-Kolkata saga
The statue was installed by Sree Bhumi Sporting Club and unveiled during Messi's "GOAT Tour" visit to Kolkata in December 2024. Messi himself virtually inaugurated the monument via video. At the time, it felt like a statement about how deeply Argentina — and Messi specifically — is embedded in West Bengal's football culture. Now it's becoming a symbol of a visit that went sideways in almost every direction.
Crowd disorder hit Salt Lake Stadium during Messi's appearance, with fans reportedly furious after VIPs and political figures dominated access while paying spectators couldn't get close. Infrastructure was damaged. Police intervened. Last week, event organiser Satadru Dutta filed a complaint against former sports minister Arup Biswas, alleging ticket misuse and pressure over access cards.
A swaying statue is almost fitting as the final chapter.
Whether the monument gets reinstalled elsewhere remains undecided. For now, authorities are monitoring it while weighing reinforcement against full relocation. Meanwhile, Messi — entirely unbothered by all of this — is expected to lead Argentina into their 2026 World Cup title defence against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, having been included in Scaloni's preliminary 55-man squad before the list was trimmed to 35 on May 21. The final 26 are due between May 28 and 29.
The statue may be coming down. Argentina's number one fan base in India isn't going anywhere.
