LIONEL MESSI has been honoured with an incredible sculpture after leading Argentina to World Cup glory.
And fans reckoned he’s easily “won the battle of the statues” against rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi, 35, spurred Argentina to victory against France in December’s thrilling final.
And he has now been rewarded with a life-size statue at the headquarters of the South American Football Federation in Peru,
The sculpture shows Messi in his Argentina kit holding the World Cup trophy.
And it will go next to statues of fellow football legends Diego Maradona and Pele.
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Messi said: “I had never dreamed or thought about this. My dream was to enjoy what I liked when I was little, to be a pro soccer player, to do what I always loved in this life.
“I had a very long road, many decisions and defeats, but I always looked ahead and wanted to go for a triumph, for a victory.
“I think that is the most important thing, to fight for your dreams, that everything is possible and to enjoy the game, which is the most beautiful thing there is.”
Messi’s statue looked very realistic — which is more than can be said for the iconic bust of rival Ronaldo in Portugal.
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The hilarious sculpture was put on display at Madeira’s international airport in 2017.
But many at the time thought it looked nothing like ex-Man Utd and Real Madrid star Ronaldo.
And fans on social media declared Messi to be the grand winner of the statue face-off.
One said: “If only Ronaldo had a World Cup they would have paid more attention to sculpting his statue.”
Another declared: “Messi won the statue battle.”
One noted: “Even Messi’s statue won the World Cup but where is Ronaldo?”
Another added: “Whoever designed the Ronaldo statue was definitely a Messi fan.”
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