Which Spanish vandals destroyed the mural of Ferran Torres in Barcelona?

Ferran Torres has secured his place in Spanish soccer history. The Valencia-born forward scored the goal that delivered Spain’s second World Cup title after coming off the bench and converting a Nico Williams assist to score the only goal of the final against Argentina, preventing the game from going to a penalty shootout.

His name now stands alongside that of Andrés Iniesta, and Barcelona wanted to pay tribute to him. Urban artist TVBoy painted a mural on Tuesday in the city’s Gràcia neighborhood, near the Joanic metro station, showing the Spanish forward kissing the World Cup trophy alongside Spain’s two stars.

The mural, however, lasted only a matter of hours.

Overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday, several hooded (because they’re not very brave) vandals defaced the artwork, spray-painting over the image with the message: “Fuck Spain, we want a Catalan national team.” The pro-independence group showed no respect for the Ferran mural, sparking anger among many local residents, who felt that freedom of expression had not been respected.

Several associations and political parties in Barcelona have since condemned the act of vandalism, highlighting the strong support Spain’s national team received in the city throughout the World Cup.

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