A corny gesture: Argentina farmer grows cornfield shaped like Lionel Messi's face

It's hard to compete with a passionate fan. To celebrate the World Cup star, an Argentinean former "grew" a cornfield into an enormous picture of Lionel Messi, covering half a million square meters. According to the Daily Star, this massive image is even visible from space.

The farmer in question, Maximiliano Spinazze, used an algorithm to calculate exactly where he should plant the seeds in his field, located in the center of Argentina's Cordova province. The result is a huge picture of a bearded Messi, the Daily Star reported. According to Spinazze, this is done to thank the soccer star for leading Argentina's national team to victory over France at the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.

The South American nation, for which soccer is an essential aspect of its very existence, is a major agricultural power and the world's third-biggest corn exporter. In a sense, two essential aspects of the country were brought together into one corny creation.

"Agricultural art"

Agricultural engineer Carlos Faricelli designed the algorithm used in the machines that planted the seeds in such a precise pattern, with some areas denser than others.

"I had the idea to make a code that goes in the seeders with Messi's face as a tribute," Faricelli said, according to the Daily Star, noting that he made the code available to any farmer who wanted.

Spinazzee is far from the only fan to show a boundless love for Lionel Messi. For example, one die-hard soccer fan shaved Messi's face on the back of his neck in a "hair tattoo," and others have his name actually tattooed onto their foreheads. However, some of them regretted their decision. A Messi cornfield is easier to undo than a tattoo.