KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WSVN) — Some soccer fans may see Lionel Messi as the greatest of all time, but in Kansas City, folks are seeing the soccer icon as the literal goat.
Dressed in a powder blue and white Argentina jersey, Messi the goat munched weeds along the Missouri River instead of scoring goals like his predecessor.
Argentina has made Kansas City their base for the FIFA World Cup. The team is staying near the horned Messi, who is part of a herd placed there to clear out invasive vegetation.
“Baby Messi came about when we showed up with the goats up here. He was born about a week before we showed up,” said Kyle Alvis, owner of the land-clearing and vegetation management company Goats Gone Green. “We partnered with Port KC a year ago. We bring the goats in; they don’t want to spray no herbicides, of course, with the Missouri River next door, we don’t want the run-off, you know, to hurt any of the fish or anything.”
The spotlight shines on Messi as his human counterpart celebrates his 39th birthday on Wednesday. The futbol superstar is next scheduled to square off against the Jordanian team on Saturday night.
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