A statue of Lionel Messi located at the entrance of El Nuevo Mundial café in central Mar del Plata was completely destroyed early Sunday morning in what staff describe as a deliberate act of vandalism.
Idman.Biz reports that the figure was broken at the waist, and the replica of the 2022 World Cup trophy it held was also smashed.
According to café employees, two young men walking past around 6 a.m. pushed the sculpture to the ground, causing it to fracture into several pieces. The perpetrators have not yet been identified, and the café is currently evaluating whether the monument can be restored.
This is not the first incident involving the statue. Last year it was decapitated, and in July 2024 the café proudly celebrated its full restoration, carried out again by the original artist, Rodolfo Bayón. The statue, initially erected in 2018 and recreated after Messi’s triumph in Qatar, had become one of the most photographed attractions in the area.
The latest vandalism occurred shortly after a controversial social media post by Juan Sebastián Verón’s wife, which referenced Messi amid tensions between the AFA and the government. It also happened just hours after Messi won the Eastern Conference title with Inter Miami, beating New York City 5–1 as he continues his pursuit of the MLS Cup.
