The graffiti, showing Real Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos and FC Barcelona’s defender Gerard Pique making out, has prompted debate on social media. According to the Spanish sports outlet AS, the point of the work by street artist Tvboy in Barcelona, who painted the two football stars along with a heart and the caption “Kiss and Talk” in Barcelona – where the two teams will meet on Wednesday, is to urge the two parties in the row over the Catalonian independence to engage in dialogue.
Piqué and Ramos embrace
— Barça Blood (@DeshMendez) December 17, 2019
The picture depicts rivals Gerard Piqué and Sergio Ramos kissing, and has been entitled 'Spain, kiss and talk' in a plea for dialogue rather than disharmony amid potentially ugly scenes due to protests.#TsunamiDemocràtic #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/pjdydIZx7o
Some praised the message and the format on Twitter, saying that one should enjoy football and put differences aside.
"Kiss and Talk." Wonderful graffiti in Barcelona showing Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique with some love at the time of political unrest. Time to enjoy El Clásico and put our differences aside! ❤️ @SergioRamos @3gerardpique @realmadrid @FCBarcelona #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/e7XLDYMtIf
— af (@AlxFila) December 17, 2019
The graffiti of the two footballers kissing brought others to laughter.
Hahahahaha...
— Rei (@reiners97) December 18, 2019
Pique and Ramos kiss in Barcelona street graffiti https://t.co/lohaPNHDYl via @MarcainEnglish
El Clasico really is taking on a new meaning this year: https://t.co/ekEBKcENMd
— Yu (@YucciMane) December 18, 2019
Some seemed rather sceptical about the creation.
El clásico has become el político and still uncertain how everything will go down tomorrow with the demonstrations planned ahead of Barça-Madrid. A kiss between Gerard Piqué and Sergio Ramos is of course one way to deal with it.... pic.twitter.com/i66bDxa30C
— Nicolai Lisberg (@NicolaiLisberg) December 17, 2019
A kiss for peace. #Graffiti De un beso between two rebels with a cause on and off the pitch. #ElClasico Gerard Pique likes to comment on political events and Sergio Ramos stands out for saying what he thinks. FYI, not the first kiss either. Remember #Messi & #Ronaldo @TVBoy pic.twitter.com/T0VXPaFUt3
— Thomas Rongen (@TRongen) December 18, 2019
This is not the first time that Tvboy used this motif for his work. He earlier painted Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and the former star of Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, kissing as well.
Violent rallies have rocked the region since 14 October, sparked by the Spanish Supreme Court's ruling to hand nine Catalan independence leaders lengthy prison terms. Hundreds of people have been arrested and injured in the unrest, including police officers.
