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Video. Giant Lionel Messi statue dismantled in Kolkata

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 95 words · By Frederique Mauduit
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What to know about Video. Giant Lionel Messi statue dismantled in Kolkata

A 21-metre statue of Lionel Messi has been removed in Kolkata after engineers warned that the structure was unsafe.

Claims checked 4
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A 21-metre statue of Lionel Messi has been removed in Kolkata after engineers warned that the structure was unsafe.

Why it matters

The sculpture, which showed the Argentina captain lifting the World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December during the football star's GOAT Tour of India and quickly became a popular local landmark.

Common ground

Officials said the statue was swaying in strong winds, raising concerns about its structural integrity.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/video/2026/06/02/giant-lionel-messi-statue-dismantled-i…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
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Claim 1: “The decision to take it down came less than a year after it was installed.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the statue was installed in December (during the GOAT tour) and removed in May/June 2026, which is a period of less than one year.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025 was a promotional and fan engagement tour by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi across India during December 2025. As a celebration of Messi's status among the g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi's_2025_tour_of_In…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by some as the greatest football player ever, has been awarded throughout his career a total of eight…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “A 21-metre statue of Lionel Messi has been removed in Kolkata after engineers warned that the structure was unsafe.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (Gulf News, Facebook news report, and other search results) confirm that a 21-metre (70ft) statue of Lionel Messi in Kolkata was removed due to safety concerns and engineering warnings.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025 was a promotional and fan engagement tour by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi across India during December 2025. As a celebration of Messi's status among the g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi's_2025_tour_of_In…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by some as the greatest football player ever, has been awarded throughout his career a total of eight…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “The sculpture, which showed the Argentina captain lifting the World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December during the football star's GOAT Tour of India”
CORROBORATED
The claim is supported by multiple web sources stating the statue showed Messi lifting the World Cup and was unveiled in December during the 'GOAT Tour'. This is further supported by a Wikipedia entry specifically detailing 'Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025' occurring in December 2025.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025 was a promotional and fan engagement tour by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi across India during December 2025. As a celebration of Messi's status among the g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi's_2025_tour_of_In…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by some as the greatest football player ever, has been awarded throughout his career a total of eight…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Officials said the statue was swaying in strong winds, raising concerns about its structural integrity.”
CORROBORATED
Three separate web search results explicitly state that the statue was removed after residents and officials reported it was swaying in strong winds, posing a risk to structural integrity.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025 was a promotional and fan engagement tour by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi across India during December 2025. As a celebration of Messi's status among the g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi's_2025_tour_of_In…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by some as the greatest football player ever, has been awarded throughout his career a total of eight…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.