Vandals write Lionel Messi's name on Cristiano Ronaldo statue in Portugal
The graffiti was put on the statue hours after the Barcelona player won the Ballon d'Or award for world player of the year.
A statue of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in his home town Funchal in Portugal was vandalised on Tuesday and painted with rival Lionel Messi’s name. The statue had red paint smeared on it, along with the Argentina captain's name and shirt number, AP reported. Officials said the statue, which had been unveiled just over a year ago, was cleaned soon after it was vandalised. However, the culprits have not been found yet.
The incident occurred a day after Barcelona’s Messi won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the fourth time since since 2010. Ronaldo had won the award for the world player of the year in 2013 and 2014.