Ballesteros - (AFP) - A field of corn was planted in Argentina in a way that highlights the face of football star Lionel Messi , who led his country to victory in the World Cup, in a new step honoring him after tattoos and murals representing him.

The agricultural engineer, Charlie Varicelli, who is behind this initiative, explained to AFP that Messi's face is becoming more prominent with the growth of maize in one of the fields of Ballesteros in the province of Cordoba (north).

He said, "The idea represents a tribute from the agricultural sector to Messi. We wanted to do this regardless of whether he would lead his country to win the World Cup or not, but he managed to achieve that," explaining that "the cultivation of corn in the shape of Messi's face began before the start of the World Cup, It follows from our faith in the player.”

Messi's face was created by sowing seeds at different densities with the help of a digital agricultural platform. "With the development of technology, the agricultural machinery has become aware of the amount of seeds that should be sown in different places," the engineer said.

Varricelli called on farmers, through the communication sites, to follow his example and honor Messi in the same way, while publishing the digital program that he used to benefit them.

He said, "25 fields were planted in the shape of Messi's face before, during and after the World Cup in five provinces. While the Argentine player's face appears clearly in some of them, it is not clear in a number of them, due to the date of planting the seeds or the extent of the region's exposure to drought."

"We are very happy with this honor and we are also happy with Argentina's victory. We sympathize with the team because it suffered before the victory, while the agricultural sector is suffering in turn," he said, referring to the drought that hits the central-eastern provinces of the country, including Cordoba, although weather forecasts indicate the possibility Rainfall in Ballesteros over the next few days.
Once the harvest is over in June and July, Messi's face will still be visible thanks to the large density of waste, and the drawing, in one form or another, will become permanently visible.