The Civil Guard has located the copper statue of Severiano Ballesteros, which had disappeared from its location in Pedreña (Cantabria), the golfer's birthplace, dismembered and "ready for sale." They have arrested a man for the theft, though they do not rule out further arrests.
The Civil Guard announced the discovery of the pieces of the copper statue, which cost approximately €30,000, on their social media account.
The Government Delegate in Cantabria, Pedro Casares, along with Civil Guard Lieutenant Julio Postigo, are providing details about the discovery of this monument, which honored the golfer in his hometown, where he died in 2011.
The sculpture, by Salva García Ceballos, depicts the legendary athlete in full figure, life-size, as he won the 1984 British Open, with his fist clenched in a victory gesture—an image that became iconic worldwide.
Ballesteros, statue
The pieces of this statue, weighing over 100 kilos, were found in a storage room of an apartment building in Santander. They were discovered in three large, separate pieces, with the arms cut into chunks, inside a construction bucket.
Julio Postigo recalled that the statue was stolen from La Barquería Park in Pedreña—where it was installed in 2017—on the night of January 18-19. The Marina de Cudeyo Town Hall reported its disappearance the following morning, and an investigation was launched.
The main hypothesis from the beginning was the theft of copper and other metals for later sale.
"The objective and priority was to recover the statue as soon as possible, because time was against us," Postigo stated, adding that they intensified inspections and inquiries at scrap yards and dismantling facilities in Cantabria, Asturias, and the Basque Country.
Agents discovered two suspicious vehicles involved in the theft, which had not left Cantabria, and focused their investigation on these cars, which were located in the La Albericia neighborhood of Santander.
Both owners of these vehicles had prior records for metal theft, so close surveillance was initiated on them and their movements until it focused on one of them, as it was confirmed he had participated in the robbery.
In recent days, investigators detected suspicious movements by the main suspect, including trips to Bizkaia, leading them to fear that the statue might be taken out of Cantabria for sale.
Given this turn in the investigation, the Civil Guard arrested the 22-year-old man on Thursday, January 29, and searched a garage/storage unit where they found the dismembered statue.
Although only this young man has been arrested so far, the investigation continues, and the Civil Guard has not ruled out further arrests. Given the monument's weight, exceeding 100 kilos, the involvement of more than one person is considered likely.
The mayor of Marina de Cudeyo has indicated that the first step is to speak with the sculptor, because "in principle, a statue can be reconstructed." However, he doesn't know if it will be possible.
"It won't stay like this. We will probably take advantage of this incident to improve the area where the sculpture stood, and we also intend to do so, if possible, in collaboration with the family and the foundation" that bears the golfer's name, he added.
The park in La Barquería, where it was located, was chosen to house the statue, as it was intended to represent the 18th hole of the St. Andrews golf course in Scotland, the site of Seve's victory in the 1984 British Open.
The monument has since served as a memorial to Seve, who passed away on May 7, 2011, a gray and rainy day, at his home in his native Pedreña, at the age of 54, from a brain tumor.
