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A statue portraying Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo has made headlines for resembling another person.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a famous football player of the Real Madrid professional football club, has made a name for himself as a charitable athlete. To pay tribute to Ronaldo, the former Madeira / məˈdɪər ə / Airport has been renamed to Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport in March. However, during a ceremony at the airport, the limelight was on his statue instead.
The athlete’s replica, which can be found outside the airport entrance, drew criticisms for resembling Irish football player Niall Quinn instead of Ronaldo. Some claimed that this was not the first time that a tribute to Ronaldo had gone wrong. For instance, his silver statue in Madrid has been perceived to be portraying him as overweight.
Despite the criticisms, sculptor Emanuel Santos defended his work, which took three weeks to create, by saying that the process was not simple and it was a matter of preference. Santos further explained that he molded the clay and sent it to a specialist who did the bronzing. Although Santos used Ronaldo’s photos while molding the clay, a mistake occurred during the bronzing process.
Santos assured that he was prepared for the criticisms because not everybody can be pleased. He believes that the work’s impact is what matters. Although Ronaldo said that only the lines on the statue’s left eye should be removed to portray a younger version of himself, he sent personal messages to Santos to express his appreciation for the statue.