Argentine farmer cultivates 50-hectare image of Lionel Messi, visible even from space

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Lionel Messi enjoys a god-like status in his home country Argentina, which became more evident after the 35-year-old won the country its third World Cup last year. Messi has since become an even bigger phenomena across the globe including in Argentina, where a farmer has grown an enormous 50-hectare image as a tribute to the superstar. The image of Messi has been grown by Maximiliano Spinazze in Los Condores, the central Cordoba province of Argentina.

According to reports, Spinazze used a specially-designed algorithm to calculate where the seeds would need to be planted in his corn field in order for it to look like an image of Messi. The image is also visible from space. The tribute has come a month after Messi helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Argentina defeated France in the final to secure the most coveted trophy in the footballing world. Messi himself scored in the final and he finished as the best player in the tournament. 

A corn field displays an image of the face of football star Lionel Messi. The design, by agricultural engineer Carlos Faricelli, was made using precision planting, and was shared with several agricultural producers, who planted corn in this way to pay tribute to the footballer. pic.twitter.com/yzpjaR5ZOG

— Mattheus Hermanny (@MatHermanny) January 20, 2023

FIFA World Cup final

As far as the final is concerned, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win their third World Cup title. Messi scored a brace in the game, including the opening goal in the 23rd minute. Angel Di Maria scored the second goal for Argentina to put the 2-0 up at halftime. After the break, French forward Kylian Mbappe scored two back-to-back goals in the 80th and 81st minutes to force extra time. Both Messi and Mbappe scored one goal each in the additional time to level the score and take the game into penalty shootouts. 

Argentina beat France on penalties to win the World Cup after 36 years. Messi was later named the player of the tournament for his outstanding performances throughout the competition. He also became the first player in the world to win two Golden Ball awards in the tournament's history. Messi earlier won the player of the tournament award in the 2014 World Cup despite Argentina losing the final to Germany. Messi has also become the player with the most appearances, most minutes, and most goal contributions in World Cup history.

Image: Twitter