A mural depicting Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior in the jersey of the Romanian national team was unveiled on Thursday in Bucharest in the presence of Brazilian ambassador Ricardo Guerra de Araujo and a group of former Romanian and Brazilian footballers.

The street painting that embellishes the side of a block of flats in the center of Bucharest is the creation of Brazilian artist Fabio Gomes Trindade, and is part of a project carried out by the EDIT Association in partnership with the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Bucharest, the Romanian Football Federation, and the Sector 4 Mayor’s Office, as part of the 2024 Outline Street Art Festival.

Fabio Gomes Trindade said he is moved by the thought that his painting is highly appreciated by the Romanian viewers.

I am happy and excited that the Romanians like what I have achieved. I chose Vinicius because we, Brazilians, are his fans and because he fights racism. He wants equality for everyone, because there is only one race, the human race. The idea of dressing Vinicius in the shirt of the Romanian national team is for getting Brazilians acquainted with Romanian football. Just like everyone else, I am disappointed that Vinicius did not win the Ballon d’Or. But we know that he is the best best player in the world, the artist said.

He also mentioned that he intends to create a mural in Brazil depicting football great Gheorghe Hagi, gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci and volleyball player Cristina Pirv, who – he said – is considered the best foreign player in the history of Brazilian volleyball.

Brazilian ambassador in Bucharest Ricardo Guerra de Araujo also voiced his disappointment that Brazilian striker Vinicius missed out on the Ballon d’Or this year.

In the artist’s vision, this yellow jersey of the Romanian national team, the same color as that of Brazil, represents a bridge between the two cultures, between the two football communities and not only that. Of course I’m a little upset that Vinicius, who is featured in this mural, did not receive the Ballon d’Or. I think it was an unfair decision. But it is a well-known fact that there are many discussions between the Real Madrid Club and UEFA in this period, so the context is very well known. I liked the fact that Vinicius stated that he isn’t bothered that he did not win now and that he will continue to play at his best in order to win next year. It’s a shame that he didn’t get this award, but he is still young, we shouldn’t cry now, the ambassador said.

Liviu Zorila, the president of the EDIT Association which organized the Outline Street Art Festival, explained that football is one thing that connects Romania and Brazil.

This year, through the Embassy of Brazil in Bucharest, we managed to bring to Romania one of the best street artists in the world, Fabio Gomes Trindade. This painting was created in about two weeks, it is 350 sqm wide and is the largest created at the Outline Streetart Festival. In the artist’s view, what connects Romania and Brazil is football. As you can see, half of this painting is dedicated to Brazilian culture, and the other half to Romania, and the connecting element is the most famous Brazilian footballer from this period, Vinicius Jr, who is wearing the Romanian national team jersey. Also, the painting carries a message against racism and discrimination, Zorila explained.

Former Brazilian footballer Eric de Oliveira Pereira, who also holds Romanian citizenship, declared at the festivity that the mural created by Fabio Gomes Trindade will make Romania better known in Brazil, and raved about the welcoming and helpful nature of Romanians.

Another Brazilian footballer who has been playing in Romania for many years, Junior Morais, also commended the painting and the fact that Vinicius is represented in the yellow Romanian jersey.

Former volleyball player Cristina Pirv, one of the most famous foreign sportswomen who played in Brazil, said that she is delighted with Fabio Gomes Trindade’s mural, which is an extraordinary artwork, and voiced her excitement at Trindade’s plans to paint her in a street composition in Brazil, alongside Nadia Comaneci and Gheorghe Hagi. “This would be a recognition of my achievements in Brazil. It’s nice to know that 200 million Brazilians love me. My second home is there. I had the opportunity to meet Pele, the most famous Brazilian footballer, and also Ronaldinho and others. With Pele I talked about Mircea Lucescu, because they met on the football field,” said Pirv.