Vandals Attack Statue of Lionel Messi in Buenos Aires

A statue of soccer great Lionel Messi erected in Buenos Aires last year was vandalized, Argentine media reported.

Vandals removed the arms and head from the likeness of the FC Barcelona star and Argentina captain, which was formally dedicated last June in a ceremony led by Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta.

The municipal government said it was already taking steps to have the statue repaired.

The addition of Messi’s statute to the city’s sporting Walk of Glory came just two days after he announced his departure from the national team, a decision he reversed a month later.