Barcelona unveils San Diego-inspired waterfront statue following World Cup win

In 1945, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped a photo in New York’s Times Square of Navy sailor George Mendonsa grabbing nurse Greta Zimmer and kissing her in celebration of the announcement that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, thus ending World War II. It became one of the most famous and beloved pictures ever taken — even though Mendonsa and Zimmer were strangers, and the kiss was not consensual — so much so that the City of San Diego saw fit to place a huge statue based on the image along its waterfront. So naturally, when Spain won soccer’s Women’s World Cup this year and Spanish football president Luis Rubiales grabbed player Jenni Hermosa and kissed her on the lips in celebration, the coastal city of Barcelona knew just what to do. “We think Barcelona’s style of honoring victory is just muy bueno,” said a spokesperson for the San Diego Port District, which purchased the Unconditional Surrender statue. “So picante!”