Authorities in Madeira are searching for a known local vandal who filmed himself dousing the iconic 11-foot bronze statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in flammable liquid and setting it ablaze outside the CR7 Museum in Funchal on Tuesday.
The perpetrator, who identifies as a “freestyler,” uploaded footage of the arson to Instagram—featuring himself performing a bizarre dance to rap music and making obscene gestures as flames engulfed the sculpture—alongside the ominous caption: “This is God’s last warning.”
While the PSP police force confirmed the suspect has been identified as a serial troublemaker “known here because of similar earlier situations,” he remains at large as investigators assess if the 2014 monument suffered permanent damage.
This latest incident adds to a history of controversy for the site, which was previously defaced by rival fans in 2016, leading Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, to famously label the perpetrators as “frustrated savages who should live in Syria amidst people who don’t respect each other.”