Vandal films self dancing 'freestyle' after torching Cristiano Ronaldo statue

The video was shared on Instagram by an account named zaino.tcc.filipe. In his profile description, the man refers to himself as a “person, freestyler and local man.” His account mainly features freestyle dance videos posted for entertainment.

The incident took place outside the CR7 Museum in Funchal, Madeira, Ronaldo’s hometown. In the video, the man is seen pouring a liquid over the statue before setting it alight. He then plays music through a portable speaker and performs a dance in front of the camera.

Although the flames appeared briefly intense, the fire went out quickly and no injuries were reported. The video soon went viral, reaching around 400 likes on Instagram. Despite comments being disabled, the incident drew strong criticism from viewers.

One comment read: “Do you think it's good what you've done! I think what you did was unnecessary and all for likes.” Another wrote: “I usually really like your energy, but this time it seems a bit redundant... I unfollowed you! Using God's name in this kind of action, I just hope there won't be any retaliation from Him.”

Police in Madeira confirmed that the suspect has been identified but has not yet been located. A source from the PSP police force said: “The author of this crime has been identified. He is known here because of similar earlier situations.” Despite the investigation, the man has continued to post dancing videos on Instagram, reportedly filmed at home.

The CR7 Museum declined to comment on the incident.

This is not the first time a statue of Ronaldo has been targeted. In 2016, vandals damaged an earlier statue in Madeira by painting Lionel Messi’s name and the number 10 on it, shortly after the Argentine won his fifth Ballon d’Or. That statue, first unveiled in 2014, was later replaced in 2017 by the current version.