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.
Leo Messi's statue in Puerto Madero has been vandalised again. 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.
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