...Argentina, even the corn fields are mystically paying tribute to Lionel Messi’s legendary World Cup triumph
1 EARNING HIS CORN
You know those weird newspaper stories where Boris Johnson’s face appears on a piece of toast or something? It’s only gone and happened in Argentina, too.
OK, this wasn’t some bizarre accidental apparition like the Turin Shroud, or that ghost mascot at the World Cup – it was actually a very elaborate tribute by a farmer in Los Condores, near Cordoba.
Lionel Messi’s historic triumph in Qatar has led to a whole raft of homages – tattoos, murals in several different countries, a hot air balloon redesigned into his number 10 jersey in Colombia, even giant papier maché Messi puppets roaming the streets in Ecuador to celebrate New Year.
None, though, were quite as intricate as the work of Maximiliano Spinazze, who created Messi’s face in his corn field using geocoding equipment to work out where his seeds would need to be planted.
The design was even visible from satellites in space – Cristiano Ronaldo is probably already making plans to fly to Argentina, steal a combine harvester and plough down the entire field...
2 A GOOD EGG
No bottle of champagne or a trophy for the man of the match in Zambia – there, you get eggs.
That was the treat that awaited Kennedy Musonda after he bagged the only goal of the game in a topflight fixture at Nkana, aiding Power Dynamos’ hopes of a first title since 2011. Courtesy of a local farm, he received five trays of eggs in total – two for the goal, three for man of the match – before embarking upon an acceptance speech as if he’d won an Oscar.
“I just want to say thank you for the eggs, and I’d like to thank my team-mates,” gushed the day’s star man, stopping short of thanking the Academy and punching Chris Rock.
3 BUSH PATROL
When Girona’s game against Catalan neighbours Barcelona quickly sold out, the La Liga side had an idea.
A treasure hunt ensued, with 12 Willy Wonka golden tickets hidden around the region, and clues given on social media to the location. Fans were soon taking to streets on a weekday to rummage through the bushes, like a modern version of Pickles the dog – if Pickles had been an office worker who’d legged it out of the office after seeing an Instagram post.
Even nurses slipped out of work to get in on the act – some tickets were found within just 10 minutes of clues being posted on social media, and the Catalan healthcare system quickly got back on track.
4 KARDASHIAN: BIG FAN OF ANDY TOWNSEND
It’s official: Kim Kar
