Kolkata, Dec 13 (UNI) World Cup winner Lionel Messi on Saturday unveiled his 70-ft tall iron statue, billed as the tallest statue of any footballer in the globe, on VIP Road – the gateway to the city. The statue has been erected around four kilometres south of the NSCBI Airport near the Big Ben Clock tower on the VIP Road- Lake Town crossing.
Hours after the Argentine great arrived in the city aboard a private jet, he virtually unveiled the white statue from the Hyatt Regency hotel, where he is staying with his entourage, including several Inter Miami players. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, a self-confessed Messi fan, was present at the unveiling.
The statue, a replica of a photograph of Messi holding the World Cup in 2022, was made in 40 days by artist Mintu Pal,
West Bengal fire department minister Sujit Bose, who personally took the initiative for the statue, claimed the standing figure is the tallest of any footballer in the world.
Messi unveils his statue in Kolkata
