Lionel Messi statue is vandalised for second time in a year

Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez unveiled the statue alongside 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona and Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio in June 2016 - but it hasn't proved popular for all.

Despite his superhuman efforts for Barcelona, Messi has more than his fair share of detractors in Argentina, having failed to single-handedly deliver a World Cup

Despite netting a brilliant hat-trick to see La Albiceleste through in qualifying for Russia 2018, someone - or multiple perps - have expressed their dislike for the talismanic forward by hacking the legs off his statue, as reported by Spanish news agency EFE.

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Leo Messi's statue in Puerto Madero has been vandalised again. December 3, 2017

— cantworkitout on December 3, 2017

Given that this is the second time Messi's immortalised form has been destroyed, it's not yet clear whether it will be re-built or simply removed altogether.

Either way, the message seems perfectly clear: come back when you've got the Jules Rimet in your hands. No pressure.