Vini Jr. and Virginia: how the World Cup mural went viral after the couple broke up On the eve of the Brazilian team's debut at the World Cup, the space that until a few days ago was occupied by influencer Virginia Fonseca now has a new character: Neymar. The change took place in the mural of Vinícius Júnior painted on Rua República da Argentina, in Pouso Alegre (MG), one of the World Cup decorations that had the most impact on social media in recent weeks. 📲 Follow the g1 Sul de Minas page on Instagram The change was made by artist Diego Miranda, responsible for the project that transformed the street into a green and yellow scene with flags, paintings on the asphalt and tributes to Brazilian sports idols. According to Miranda, the impact of the mural went beyond social media and transformed the street into a visiting point. Videos of the decoration were shared by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). "I was shocked to see that it had become like a tourist spot. People come in saying they came to see the most famous street in Pouso Alegre," he told g1. World Cup mural in Pouso Alegre (MG) wins Neymar after leaving Virginia Personal archive / Diego Miranda With the repercussion, visitors began to look for the street to photograph the decoration and monitor the changes in the mural. "Some people say: why did you take Virginia? Others say it looked cool with Neymar. People take photos, they think it's funny. The mural in person is better than in the photo." In this new update, the mural gained an anti-racist phrase: “As long as the color of the skin is more important than the brightness of the eyes, there will be war!” According to Diego, the message was inspired by the trajectory of Vinícius Júnior and the episodes of racism faced by the player throughout his career. Mural by Vini Jr. before and after the inclusion of influencer Virginia Fonseca Personal file READ ALSO: After Virginia and Vini Jr. break up, influencer is removed from mural on street decorated for the World Cup Vini Jr.'s mural took four days to make and 10 minutes to erase Virginia, says artist Artist says he can repaint it if there is reconciliation before the World Cup: 'I'll do it again' Art is part of a community project that revives the tradition of painting streets Video of a street painted for the World Cup arrives at CBF and goes viral in MG: 'It was the recognition of a dream' From Virginia to Neymar Influencer Virginia Fonseca had been included in the mural because, at the time of the painting, she was in a relationship with Vinícius Júnior. According to Miranda, residents even questioned where the influencer was, which motivated her inclusion in the art. After the end of the relationship, the artist published a poll on social media asking his followers whether he should keep her or remove her from the mural. The majority voted for its removal and, the next day, the image was covered in green paint. The change drew attention because the influencer's image took around four days to produce, but was covered in approximately ten minutes. (watch below) After breaking up with Vini Jr., Virginia is erased from the World Cup mural in the south of MG At the time, he also stated that he could repaint Virginia alongside Vini Jr. if the couple reconciled by the World Cup. Now, the space has been filled with the image of Neymar, once again forming a duo alongside Vini Jr. The combination is not unprecedented. In 2022, Miranda had already portrayed the two in another decoration inspired by the Brazilian team. The artist has also produced a mural of striker Gabigol. And, in addition to the arts linked to football, there were tributes to the pilot Ayrton Senna and the actor Lázaro Ramos. Visual artist from Pouso Alegre (MG) has already produced murals that illustrate Ayrton Senna, Gabigol and Lázaro Ramos Personal archive / Diego Miranda Project revives World Cup tradition The decoration is part of a community project created to revive a common tradition in past World Cups: painted streets, neighbors gathered and children participating in the preparation for the tournament. The work began in May and mobilized dozens of residents of Rua República da Argentina. According to the artist, around 40 children and 50 adults participated over the weekends. With support, the project received an investment of approximately R$10,000. The artist's expectation is to complete new elements of the decoration before Brazil's next games and keep alive the tradition that marked generations during the World Cups. Video of painted street for the World Cup in Pouso Alegre (MG) arrives at CBF Flávio Henrique Leite Infographic - Mural Vini Jr. and Virgínia in the South of Minas Art g1 See more news from the region on g1 Sul de Minas