Italian Soccer Fans Demand Mona Lisa Back from Louvre After World Cup

Following France's 4-2 victory over Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final on July 15, Italian nationalists on social media erupted in a campaign to reclaim Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa from the Louvre. The uproar was sparked by a celebratory tweet from the Louvre's official account, which showed the Mona Lisa wearing a French jersey with the caption: "Félicitations à l'@equipedefrance pour leur victoire à la #CoupeDuMonde2018!" Italian users responded with demands to return the painting, claiming it was stolen. The Louvre's social media manager replied that Leonardo himself sold the painting to King Francis I of France. The article traces the painting's history: Leonardo brought it to France in 1516, it was acquired by the French royal family, moved to Versailles by Louis XIV, hung in Napoleon's wife's bedroom, and entered the Louvre in 1804. It notes that the only theft was by Italian Vincenzo Peruggia in 1911, who returned it to Florence but was forced to give it back. In 2012, a campaign led by Simone Vinceti gathered 150,000 signatures to request a temporary loan to the Uffizi, but the French government refused, citing technical difficulties and the painting's integral role in the Louvre's identity. The article criticizes the nationalist rhetoric as ignoring the legitimate acquisition and the complex history of art mobility.