Artists restore gigantic Messi mural in his hometown

A mural of soccer player Lionel Messi covers a building in Rosario, Argentina, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

ROSARIO, Argentina - Lionel Messi has had a fresh lick of paint.

A 534-square-metre (5,748-square-foot) mural on the side of a building in downtown Rosario, his hometown in Argentina, has been restored and inaugurated just in time for the top-scoring forward’s World Cup quarter-final match against Switzerland.

The restoration of the mural, which was originally painted in 2021, needed 300 litres (79 gallons) of paint, said Marlene Zuriaga, one of the project directors.

The work, titled “From another galaxy and from my city,” also now boasts three stars on the giant Messi’s jersey badge, one for each of Argentina’s three World Cup wins, and the word “Gracias!” (“Thank you!”) at the top.

Global superstar Messi, now 39, became the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer during this tournament. But he got his start in football at local Rosario team Newell’s Old Boys.

“We called the mural ‘From another galaxy’ but in reality he’s a human like us, who had to deal with a lot of challenges from childhood, who was born among humble working people, who rose above it,” said Lisandro Urteaga, one of the artists.

Reporting by Miguel Lo Bianco, Writing by Rosalba O’BrienEditing by Christian Radnedge