Authorities in Madeira are searching for a young man who set fire to a bronze statue of Cristiano Ronaldo outside the CR7 Museum in Funchal on Tuesday morning.
The suspect recorded himself dousing the sculpture of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward with a flammable substance before igniting it with a lighter.
He subsequently uploaded the footage to his Instagram account, which has approximately 1,000 followers, accompanied by the cryptic caption: "This is God's last warning."
The 11ft effigy stands at the entrance to the museum dedicated to the Portuguese footballer's career in the Madeiran capital, his birthplace.
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The footage captured the suspect performing an erratic dance to rap music blasting from a speaker he had brought with him, while flames engulfed the sculpture.
At one point during the incident, the fire nearly caught his own clothing before he stepped back from the blaze.
The video concluded with the man making crude gestures towards the Ronaldo likeness, thrusting his groin at it and raising his middle finger.
Authorities in Madeira are searching for a young man who set fire to a bronze statue of Cristiano Ronaldo outside the CR7 Museum in Funchal on Tuesday morning
|Although the flames initially spread across the entire statue, they subsided quickly, and it remained unclear whether any lasting damage had been caused.
PSP police in Funchal confirmed they have established the identity of the perpetrator but have yet to locate and detain him.
The bronze sculpture was originally unveiled at the end of 2014, with Ronaldo returning to his home island to pose alongside it with his family.
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The artwork was relocated to its current position near the CR7 Museum in March 2016 following an earlier act of vandalism by supporters of Lionel Messi, who daubed the Argentine's name and the number 10 on the figure after he claimed a historic fifth Ballon d'Or ahead of Ronaldo.
The statue attracted considerable attention upon its unveiling due to its notably pronounced bulge, with some observers also suggesting it bore little resemblance to the player himself.
A police source in Funchal told local media that the individual responsible for the attack is already known to authorities from previous similar incidents.
A spokesman for the CR7 Museum stated on Tuesday that the matter was in the hands of law enforcement, adding: "We have nothing further to add at this stage."
Cristiano Ronaldo poses with his statue in Madeira back in 2014
|GETTY
Supporters of the Al-Nassr striker expressed their anger on the suspect's Instagram page following the incident.
One commenter wrote: "I think what you did was unnecessary and all for likes."
Another follower responded: "I usually really like your energy, but this time it seems a bit redundant... I unfollowed you!"
A third simply observed: "He needs help."