- Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo enjoys fame, and admiration from across the world
- There are several statues of him in major cities across the world and nearly each of them has sparked some sort of controversy in the past
- For example, the one in his home town of Portugal does not have his ‘nether regions’ because fans touched it too much that the part fell off
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo enjoys fame and admiration from across the world which is why the Portuguese have statues in major cities across the world.
Besides his Portugal home town, Ronaldo enjoys adoration even in Dubai courtesy of Madame Tussauds, a London-based waxwork museum. It has at least 60 iconic sculptures of famous athletes.
But, nearly each of his statues elicits some level of controversy. Here is all you need to know about the Red Devil’s striker statue controversies.
DOES RONALDO HAVE A STATUE?
The Portuguese-born UK-based Manchester United player has his statues in three countries.
There is a statue in Portugal, Goa, and Dubai for Ronaldo. He symbolizes pride and the significance that football has in people’s lives.
In addition, Ronaldo has three statues in Portugal – at Madeira Airport, and in his Funchal hometown.
IS THE RONALDO STATUE STILL UP?
And this is where three major controversies of his statues begin.
MADEIRA AIRPORT STATUE
Cristiano Ronaldo statue at Madeira Airport. Photo/Insider
A bronze statue of Ronaldo was unveiled at Madeira Airport in Portugal in 2017. It was to celebrate the then Real Madrid star but it backfired badly.
Many people were baffled by the bronze bust of Portugal forward after it was shown at Madeira Airport in 2017. The intent was to change Madeira Airport’s name to Cristiano Ronaldo.
On the same day that Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Portugal’s World Cup opener against Spain, the sculpture was unveiled to celebrate him.
However, the sculpture had no resemblance to the football star which sparked a public uproar.
CR7 Museum, headquartered on the Portuguese island of Madeira, received a request from Ronaldo’s family for a replacement, according to the Madeira Island News.
“It’s just a matter of taste,” said sculptor Emanuel Santos, who drew inspiration for the piece from a photograph.
A resoundingly negative reaction was received to the bronze statue. However, there were many who argued that despite the fact that Ronaldo was present at the ceremony and had participated in the statue’s creation, it did not accurately depict the Manchester star.
Some people thought it looked more like John Arne Riise, NBA star Kristaps Porzingis, or F1 expert David Coulthard than it did Cristiano Ronaldo.
GOA STATUE
Then there was the GOA statue, in Southern India. This one was unveiled in 2021, and it sparked a huge protest.
Locals accused government officials of being insensitive by honouring a former colonial authority’s sports star. Protesters waving black banners gathered at the statue’s unveiling site in Calangute in early January 2022.
Protestors felt that Indian sportsmen should have been honoured over those from the country that controlled Goa for 60 years prior to its independence.
Cristiano Ronaldo Statue in Goa, India. Photo/Sky Sports
To celebrate “the passion of football” and “inspire our youth,” a local lawmaker tweeted a 400kg statue of Manchester United and Portugal forward Antonio Valencia.
Ex-Indian international Micky Fernandes called the decision “hurtful” and “a hangover” from the Portuguese dominance of the sport in his home state of Goa.
But no amount of protest made the local authorities take down the statue.
A statue of a Goan footballer, Fernandes opined to AFP, would be more appropriate. “Ronaldo is the best player in the world.”
In the words of local minister Michael Lobo of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the purpose was to inspire young people not only in India but around the world to achieve their full potential.
Those who want to make a career in football should be inspired by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lobo said. Lobo said pursuing what you’re passionate about could help you attain personal goals faster.
FUNCHAL STATUE
The third and most recent controversy involves his statue in Funchal, Portugal. Here, he is celebrated like a king given he was born and brought up in this town.
The-once-alluring statue has only a shiny crotch to show after excited fans plucked out the ‘nether regions’ of the sculpture.
Back in 2014, when the memorial was unveiled, many people questioned the extent to which the then-Real Madrid forward was given a bulge, and that bulge has only grown more apparent over time.
Oil is transmitted from human hands to the section of the model that is most frequently touched, as is the case with many famous bronze statues.
The bulbous crotch on Ronaldo’s 3.4-meter-tall monument is at the right height for posing visitors. And hundreds have rubbed the same region on it over the years, to no avail.
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