Madrid: Vandals in Portugal have painted Lionel Messi's name on a Cristiano Ronaldo statue in Portugal.
Messi's jersey number also was tagged with red paint on Ronaldo's full-figured statue in Funchal, the Portuguese striker's hometown.
Portuguese and Spanish media say the statue was vandalised early Tuesday, a day after Messi won the Ballon d'Or in Zurich to end Ronaldo's two-year hold on soccer's top individual honour.
The statue of Cristiano Ronaldo located in Madeira was vandalized last night. Messi's name was inscribed on it. pic.twitter.com/MInTzZQQpn
— RMadridFact (@RMadridFact) January 12, 2016 Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, expressed her displeasure about the act.
Eu estou com raiva, triste, decepcionada e sem palavras para tão pouca maturidade.É desrespeitoso para os turistas. pic.twitter.com/vqTyup76FV
— Katia Aveiro (@KatiaAveiro) January 12, 2016 “Most of us should thank and salute to this man, it's thanks to him that a lot of Madeirenses still have their jobs," she said.
“My beautiful island, regrettably, is still inhabited by some frustrated savages who deserve to live in Syria, between people that show no respect and hold no value for life in society. I apologise for the ones who live the sadness of war, but I believe some people don't belong on the land they live in,” she added.
Local media said the statue was cleaned by the end of the day Tuesday, but officials were still searching for the vandals.
Ronaldo's statue was inaugurated in 2014 with the presence of the Real Madrid player and his close relatives.
