Vandals behead Eddy Merckx monument in Brussels, but missing piece is found

Local residents discovered the damage on Wednesday morning at Square Eddy Merckx in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe. The artwork, created by Belgian artist Stefaan De Croock, had been severely damaged, with the head of the statue torn from the monument.

The incident has caused anger and disbelief in Belgium, where Merckx remains one of the country’s most revered sporting figures. Mayor Benoît Cerexhe said the municipality was alerted by several residents and that the reaction locally was one of shock.

“The news reached us in the morning through people from the area. You could immediately hear the emotion in their voices, somewhere between anger and sadness,” Cerexhe said to VRT Nieuws. “What kind of satisfaction can anyone get from an act like this? Why attack a sportsman, a symbol of our country? Nothing can justify this.”

There was, however, a small piece of positive news later. Four children from the neighbourhood decided to search the area and spent several hours looking through the nearby greenery. Eventually, they discovered the missing face of the artwork beneath a bush, the municipality told Het Nieuwsblad.

The find could help efforts to restore the monument, although it is not yet clear how quickly the artwork can be repaired.

The municipality has confirmed that it will file a complaint against unknown perpetrators. Authorities are also reviewing surveillance camera footage in an effort to identify those responsible.

The tribute to Merckx was unveiled in March 2019 ahead of that year’s Tour de France Grand Départ in Brussels. The race start marked the fiftieth anniversary of Merckx’s first Tour de France victory in 1969.

Merckx remains one of the greatest riders in cycling history, with five Tour de France victories, five Giro d’Italia titles, one Vuelta a España win, nineteen Monument victories and three world road race championships.