Kolkata, Dec. 13 -- 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi on Saturday unveiled his 70-ft tall iron statue, billed as earth's tallest statue of any footballer in the world, at Kolkata's gateway, around four-kilometer south from the capital city's airport in eastern India.
Hours after the Argentine great arrived in the early hours aboard a private jet at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, he virtually unveiled the white statue by remote control from the Hyatt hotel, where he is staying with his entourage, including several Inter Miami players. Hindi film superstar Shah Rukh Khan, a self-confessed Messi fan, was present at the unveiling.
The statue, a replica of a photograph of Messi who held the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was com...