Barely four days following the World Cup victory, a first-ever mural depicting Lionel Messi lifting the trophy appeared in Argentina, which is fond of the genre, on a wall in Buenos Aires.
The fresco, regarding six meters high by five wide, required 60 spray paints. Located in the Palermo district, it shows Messi, and in the background goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez flanked by Paulo Dybala and Rodrigo de Paul.
The Argentinian prodigy wears the “ tail », traditional Arab black and gold coat, a mark of honor and appreciation, which was placed on his shoulders during the presentation of the trophy.
“It’s my way of saying thank you. It is also a gift for people. Soccer for Argentines is always a joy, and allows us to get through difficult times better, street artist Maximiliano Bagnasco told AFP. We saw Argentina united with millions of people in the streets… We are world champions! »
Bagnasco, 39, is a well-known fresco artist in Argentina. He notably made a giant one, 40 meters high, representing the other “god” of Argentine soccer, Diego Maradona, on a building in Canning, in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires.
Wall frescoes, sometimes of high quality, sometimes gigantic (like that of 70 meters of Messi in his hometown, Rosario), abound on the walls of Argentine cities, with two areas that touch on the heart of the vast majority of Argentines: soccer and the Falkland Islands.
