CONMEBOL paid tribute to Lionel Messi's World Cup victory in style with the unveiling of a life-sized statue of the Barcelona legend that will stand in the organisation's museum in Paraguay.
After watching Messi received the statue on Monday, fans were quick to declare Messi the winner of the 'statue battle' against long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's statue, which is on display outside the airport in his home city of Funchal in Madeira, Portugal, was the subject of mockery after its unveiling in 2017.
The bust was later replaced in 2018, 15 months after going on display, by one that was markedly less divisive.
However, the original statue has lived a longer life online, and fans of the Argentine superstar were quick to compare the controversial bust to Messi's new artwork.
One fan pointed out that 'Messi won the statue battle'.
Another agreed, saying that: 'They really did Ronaldo dirty with his statue compared to Messi's statue'.
A third added: 'A statue for Messi but look at what they did for the other guy'.
One fan was more pointed, saying: 'If only Ronaldo had a World Cup, they would have paid more attention to sculpting his statue'.
Another Messi fan added: 'Someone said Messi's statue is a better player than Ronaldo'.
The former Real Madrid player has a number of statues in his image, including a second in his hometown which is 8ft tall.
Messi's statue was unveiled as South America's governing body for football hosted the entire Argentina team in an event dubbed 'The Night of the Stars' on Monday.
The life-sized statue of the No 10 holding the World Cup trophy will stand beside similar statues of Diego Maradona and Pele at the CONMEBOL museum in Luque, Paraguay.
Messi was visibly awestruck as the curtain raised on the statue, which was handed out later than night in miniature to a number of the player's team-mates.
Overcome with emotion, the 35 year-old said that the statue was beyond his wildest dreams.
'I never dreamed or thought about this,' Messi stated. 'My dream was to enjoy what I liked when I was little, to be a professional soccer player, to do what I always loved in this life.
'I had a very long road, many decisions and defeats, but I always looked ahead and wanted to go for a triumph, for a victory.
'I think that the most important thing [is] to fight for your dreams,' the player added.
'[To know] that everything is possible and to enjoy the game, which is the most beautiful thing there is.'
The day before, the Paris Saint-Germain forward was celebrated by the Argentina Football Association the day before the ceremony when it was revealed that the national team's training ground would be named in honour of their World Cup-winning captain.
National hero status firmly cemented by leading the South American side to glory in Qatar, Messi has continued to break records for the Albiceleste.
During Thursday's friendly against Panama, which also featured a heartfelt tribute by the player to the Argentina fans in Buenos Aires, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored his 800th career goal.
With a goal against Curacao on Tuesday, Messi could reach 100 goals for his country alone.