Overview
- The full-body figure outside El Nuevo Mundial was toppled overnight, leaving the torso and legs severed and the World Cup replica shattered.
- Security video cited by local media shows two adolescents pushing the statue before fleeing.
- Authorities have not identified suspects or announced charges in the vandalism.
- The piece was installed in 2018 by Rodolfo Bayón, became a popular photo spot, and was decapitated in May 2024 before being restored last year.
- Coverage notes heightened tensions in Argentine football and recent attacks on other images, with no evidence tying this incident to the Government–AFA dispute or to Messi.