Law enforcement in Portugal has launched a manhunt for a suspect who captured and shared a video of himself intentionally setting fire to a statue honoring Cristiano Ronaldo. The incident occurred on Madeira, the football player's native island.
The perpetrator documented the act, which involved pouring an accelerant onto the bronze effigy of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward before igniting it with a lighter.
Footage shows the man dancing to loud rap music from a portable speaker he brought to the scene as the flames engulfed the sculpture.
He subsequently uploaded the video to his Instagram account, where his profile is listed as 'zaino.tcc.filipe,' and he describes himself as a 'person, freestyler and local man.'
Accompanying the video, the user wrote a caption stating, “This is God’s last warning.”
The statue, notably recognized for its exaggerated depiction of the athlete's anatomy, was relocated to its present position near the CR7 Museum almost a decade ago. It was reportedly moved following a previous incident attributed to alleged fans of Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, attended the statue's unveiling with his family in late 2014.
At the time of the unveiling, he expressed his appreciation, stating, 'This is a very special moment, to have a statue of me.'
A representative from the CR7 Museum confirmed that the matter is currently under police investigation, declining to provide further comment.
An official from the PSP police force in Funchal informed local media that the individual responsible for the vandalism has been identified.
The source added that the suspect is already known to authorities due to prior similar incidents.
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