Roberto García Moritán proposes replacing Eva Perón image with Messi monument

Former Buenos Aires legislator Roberto García Moritán has introduced a legislative project titled ‘Homenaje permanente’ (Permanent Tribute) to honor footballer Lionel Messi. The proposal seeks to install a monumental representation of Messi on one of the facades of the Ministry of Human Capital building, located at Avenida 9 de Julio 1925.

The building is a designated National Historic Monument. To accommodate the new artwork, the project authorizes the Executive Branch to remove, relocate, or readjust one of the existing images of Eva Perón on the building's facades. The proposal specifies that the image of Eva Perón must be preserved, granting the government 90 days to determine its new location.

This initiative follows previous attempts by Moritán to address the building's iconography, including a 2022 proposal to demolish the structure to expand Avenida 9 de Julio. The current project links the tribute to Messi's sporting career and his role in representing Argentina globally, while simultaneously reigniting political debates regarding Peronist symbols.