Someone Cut the Head Off of an Eddy Merckx Statue

A monument honoring Eddy Merckx was vandalized in a Brussels suburb, triggering outrage across Belgium.

Residents discovered the sculpture’s head had been torn off in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe overnight Wednesday.

The work, created by Belgian artist Stefaan De Croock, honors Merckx near the square where he grew up.

Mayor Benoît Cerexhe condemned the vandalism and said the municipality is reviewing surveillance footage to try to find the culprits.

“The news reached us in the course of the morning through several local residents,” he told VRT. “I myself am shocked, what satisfaction does someone get from such an act? Who attacks a sportsman, a symbol of our country? Nothing can justify such an act.”

The monument was unveiled in March 2019 ahead of the grand départ of the Tour de France in Brussels.

Merckx grew up in the Brussels suburb and became a national hero in the 1960s and 1970s. Generational star Tadej Pogačar is often compared to Merckx, considered the greatest of all time.

Authorities said restoration work will begin as police open an official investigation.

Merckx recovering from surgery

The incident comes as the 80-year-old continues to recover from complications with a hip replacement.

“The Cannibal” recently underwent surgery to treat a bacterial infection following a fall in late 2024.

Merckx returned home last week after spending nearly a month in a Belgian hospital.