FUNCHAL, Portugal (AP) – Cristiano Ronaldo has an airport named after him, but it was his odd-looking statue that attracted attention in Wednesday’s ceremony honoring the Portugal star in his hometown.
The player’s bronze bust, which was unveiled to much fanfare by Portugal’s president and prime minister on the island of Madeira, hardly does the handsome footballer justice.
It squashes his eyes close together, and the cheeky raised-eyebrow smile more resembles a leer. The face is also unusually chubby, in contrast to Ronaldo’s chiseled looks.
Dozens of guests and hundreds of fans were at the unveiling of the bust in Ronaldo’s native Madeira Islands. It was part of an official ceremony to rename the local airport as Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo.
