A 70-foot-tall statue of the Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi in Kolkata is set to be razed after the state’s Public Works Department (PWD) identified severe “structural flaws” in the structure. The statue, which was virtually inaugurated by Messi during his 2025 visit to the city, was seen by bystanders swaying in high winds earlier this week. This resulted in a police complaint and an inspection by the PWD.
The fibreglass statue, which sits atop an underground pedestrian, was unveiled by Messi during the GOAT Tour in December 2025. It was the same GOAT Tour which became a symbol of mismanagement of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. Allegations of promoting VIP culture and nepotism were also levelled by the BJP at the TMC. While not a decisive electoral issue on its own, the BJP attacked the TMC over the fiasco, and turned it into a broader metaphor for administrative excess and political VIP culture under the TMC rule.
Constructed using an iron skeleton and fibreglass, Kolkata‘s Messi statue was made in a record time of 40 days by the artist Monty Paul and his team.
As of Thursday, ropes have been tied to the Messi statue and the PWD is set to remove it from the spot in Kolkata, according to reports.
Messi’s Kolkata visit turned into a fiasco as severe overcrowding and mismanagement forced organisers to cut short his appearance despite fans paying hefty ticket prices. Thousands of supporters were left disappointed after Messi spent barely 20 minutes at the event. The event collapsed into chaos as TMC leaders, including former ministers Aroop Biswas and Sujit Biswas, swarmed the pitch for photos, causing security lapses that forced organisers to abruptly rush a visibly uncomfortable Messi out of the venue.
Beyond that, the giant statue of Messi has attracted public criticism. Ever since its inauguration, football enthusiasts and Kolkata locals flooded social media to complain that the creation bore little to no resemblance to Messi. Many mocked it as a bizarre statue which they said was like a 90s Bollywood actor.
Now, months after the statue was unveiled by Messi, it could be pulled down owing to “structural flaws”.
70-FOOT-TALL MESSI STATUE SWAYED IN STRONG WINDS
The issue came to light early on Monday when people noticed the statue visibly swaying in strong winds. The sight of the giant monument shaking, just five months after its installation, caused enough alarm among local residents and commuters for them to alert the Lake Town Police Station, reported the news agency PTI.
The locals sought immediate action from authorities, demanding repairs or permanent relocation to prevent an untoward incident.
In response, police and PWD officials rushed to the spot. While workers carried out initial repairs to tighten loose screws in the primary framework, on-site personnel remained highly sceptical.
Speaking to the Bangla newspaper, Anandabazar Patrika, a PWD contractor on site stated that the structure’s foundation bolts were compromised.
“When I arrived here, I saw that Messi was completely swaying. It shakes whenever the wind blows. The two legs are moving up and down unevenly. Because of this, an accident could happen at any moment; it could fall down in the wind,” the contractor said. “It should be removed from here. We don’t know the exact condition of the foundation bolts underneath. It could topple over at any moment”.
KOLKATA’S MESSI STATUE TO BE REMOVED
Following the initial repairs, the District Magistrate directed PWD engineers to conduct a rigorous inspection of the site. Within hours, engineers submitted a formal report confirming that the structure was in critical condition and highly vulnerable to collapsing during the incoming monsoon rains.
Furthermore, sources revealed to The Indian Express that there was a major administrative lapse involved in erecting the statue. The West Bengal government had failed to obtain a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the PWD before erecting the massive monument on what is officially PWD-owned land.
Due to these combined safety hazards and legal complications, authorities have officially decided to remove the statue entirely, and necessary arrangements are being made to dismantle it at the earliest, reported The Indian Express.
According to local media reports, the statue has been secured by heavy-duty nylon ropes and the PWD is planning to remove the statue.
MESSI STATUE UNVEILED HOURS BEFORE GOAT FIASCO
The 70-foot-tall statue of Lionel Messi in Kolkata was unveiled virtually by the footballer only hours before the dismal disaster of an event at Salt Lake Stadium, which was supposed to kick off Messi’s GOAT tour across India.
Spectators, who paid ticket prices ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 50,000, were left furious when Messi’s appearance was cut short to less than 20 minutes. The event collapsed due to overcrowding and mismanagement, turning chaotic when over a hundred local politicians and VVIPs—including state ministers Aroop Biswas and Sujit Bose—swarmed the pitch for photos.
The BJP attacked the TMC, saying its leaders had brought in their family members to the Messi event without permisson.
Facing security risks as organisers lost control of the venue, a visibly uncomfortable Messi was rushed off the field, triggering fan rioting, vandalism, and the destruction of stadium property.
The fallout was immediate. Then CM Mamata Banerjee issued an apology and ordered an enquiry, while police detained the event’s organiser. The incident also triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP attacking the state government over the handling of the event.
The Messi fiasco quickly became a central pillar of the BJP’s campaign narrative in the months leading up to the state elections.
In multiple campaign videos, the BJP accused the TMC of bringing “international shame” to Kolkata, a city fiercely proud of its rich football culture.
And on May 4, when the final election results confirmed a historic BJP landslide victory in West Bengal, social media users flooded platforms with tongue-in-cheek takes linking the political upset directly to the chaotic December visit.
People on social media joked that the Argentine icon was a secret political catalyst who accidentally accelerated the TMC’s downfall. A person wrote on X, “BJP agent Messi kicked off the downfall of Didi”.
“Messi did more than Modi in West Bengal,” said another person.
While the PWD might dismantle the 70-foot structure over “structural flaws”, the GOAT Tour fiasco remains harder to erase in the minds of people of Kolkata. While the fiasco didn’t directly play a role in the TMC’s defeat in the polls, it certainly brought a bad name to the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s management.
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