After months of mirth, the airport in the star's hometown has replaced a bronze statue of its favorite son. The original work by a local artist has been swapped for a new likeness made by a Spanish sculptor.
The original Santos bustImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Atlantico Press
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A widely-mocked bust of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport in his home island of Madeira has been replaced, local media reported on Monday. The swap was made on Friday at the request of people close to Ronaldo.
"This bust is much better than the other one, that's what everyone thinks," said Ronaldo's brother Hugo Aveiro, to the Diario de Noticias da Madeira newspaper. The new work was made by a Spanish sculptor, he added.
The new and improved statueImage: Getty Images/AFP/H. Santos
The original bronze statue was made by local artist Emanuel Santos. After an unveiling ceremony 16 months ago, the statue was mocked around the world for its strange smile and lack of resemblance to the five-time Ballon d'or winner.
"The [Ronaldo] museum asked us to replace the bust in tribute to the athlete and we felt we ought to change it," airport director Duarte Ferreira said.
This is not the first time a likeness of Ronaldo has become a source of international laughter — when his hometown Funchal opened the museum dedicated to him in 2013, a 10-foot (3.40 meter) statue prompted a good deal of mirth owing to its very tight soccer shorts.
For his own part, Ronaldo was busy at the World Cup, scoring a hat trick against Spain in Portugal's opening game.
High Five: 5 enigmatic sculptures depicting European stars
Although the stars are big names, their statues don't always hit the mark. Here the strangest statues of European stars, from David Bowie to Colin Firth.
Image: DW
David Bowie
The British pop legend loved presenting himself creatively. Yet, it's unclear whether he would have liked this sculpture representing him as part man/part animal — perhaps an allusion to figures of Greek mythology. The sculpture is almost just as mysterious as David Bowie's life and works.
Image: DW
Colin Firth
This creepy depiction of the British actor toured Britain in 2013. The 3.6-meter (12-foot) statue made of fiberglass was originally part of a British broadcaster's advertising campaign. It represents an iconic scene from "Pride and Prejudice," in which Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy emerges from a lake.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Arnold Schwarzenegger
In 2011, the former Mister Universe gave himself his own sculpture. Intended to present the former bodybuilder at his physical best, the muscular bronze figure by American artist Ralph Crawford is three meters high and weighs more than 300 kilos (660 pounds). It stands in front of his former parents' home in the Austrian city of Graz, which is now a Schwarzenegger museum.
Image: DW
Gina Lollobrigida
Actress Gina Lollobrigida worked as a sculptor for decades. She designed the model for this six-meter-high statue herself. It stands in the Italian city of Pietrasanta. The artwork represents her in the role of Esmeralda in the 1956 film "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," a highlight of her career.
Image: DW
Zinedine Zidane
The sculpture depicts one of the most tragic moments in the career of the French soccer legend. During the 2006 World Cup Final, and the last match of his professional career, Zidane headbutted his Italian opponent Marco Materazzi. He was given a red card and sent off. The scene was cast in bronze by Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed in 2012.