Last Updated: June 01, 2026, 21:13 IST1 / 6 A 70-foot-tall statue of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi was removed from Lake Town area in northern Kolkata on Monday.
(AFP photo)2 / 6 Hydraulic cranes and ropes were used to dismantle the 21-metre (70-foot) sculpture in Kolkata before it was taken away on an open-top flatbed truck.
(AFP photo)ADVERTISEMENT3 / 6 The gold-coloured statue, depicting the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami star lifting the World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December last year during Messi's much-publicised GOAT tour of India.
(AFP photo)4 / 6 The statue came under scrutiny following a political shift in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power last month, ending the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) tenure in office.
(AFP photo)ADVERTISEMENT5 / 6 The statue was reportedly commissioned under the patronage of former West Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, and was criticised by the state's new sports minister, Nisith Pramanik, as "unsightly".
Last Updated: June 01, 2026, 21:13 IST
1 / 6 A 70-foot-tall statue of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi was removed from Lake Town area in northern Kolkata on Monday. (AFP photo)
2 / 6 Hydraulic cranes and ropes were used to dismantle the 21-metre (70-foot) sculpture in Kolkata before it was taken away on an open-top flatbed truck. (AFP photo)
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3 / 6 The gold-coloured statue, depicting the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami star lifting the World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December last year during Messi's much-publicised GOAT tour of India. (AFP photo)
4 / 6 The statue came under scrutiny following a political shift in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power last month, ending the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) tenure in office. (AFP photo)
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5 / 6 The statue was reportedly commissioned under the patronage of former West Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, and was criticised by the state's new sports minister, Nisith Pramanik, as "unsightly".
