Lionel Messi’s statue will be on exhibit at the South American Federation Museum alongside those of Diego Maradona and Pele of Brazil.
The erratic forward, who played for Barcelona for the majority of his career and broke record after record, had emerged from Maradona’s shadow and guided Argentina to a World Cup win last year after the trophy had evaded him for years.
At an unveiling ceremony at the CONMEBOL headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, Messi was seen standing next to the life-size statue while holding a replica of the World Cup trophy.
The event was held before the Copa Libertadores draw on Monday. The 35-year-old emulated the late Maradona by leading Argentina to their first World Cup victory in 36 years in Qatar in December.
“I had never dreamed or thought about this,” Messi said. “My dream was to enjoy what I liked when I was little, to be a professional football 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.”
He added, “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.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Argentine Football Federation renamed the national team’s practice centre after Messi, two days after he scored his 800th career goal in a 2-0 friendly victory over Panama.
