Cristiano Ronaldo likes his 'hideous’ statue, according to sculptor

Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the finest player of his generation, is in the midst of a historic week. On Tuesday, Ronaldo entered the all-time top 10 international goal scorers. A day later, the 32-year-old had an international airport named after him at Madeira, Portugal. But the biggest newsmaker of the day was a bronze statue of the player with a toothy grin and bulging eyes that instantly sparked laughs on social media.

According to one person on social media, Ronaldo's state resembles the character 'Bowser' from the Super Mario Brothers film. Another called it a "the most gloriously awful bust." Despite the mass ridicule, Emanuel Santos, the sculptor of the statue, claims that the Real Madrid star liked the bronze portrait.

“It is impossible to please the Greeks and Trojans. Even Jesus did not please everyone. This is a matter of taste, it’s not as simple as it seems. I have seen works by great artists that follow this parameter. What matters is the impact that this work generates. There is always the possibility of making a difference. I was prepared for all this. I used photos of Cristiano Ronaldo that I searched on the internet as a base. I put the photos next to me and started working on the bust," Santos told Brazilian publication Globo, via The Sun.

Cristiano Ronaldo statue: Portuguese star admits to looking older

Hugo, the brother of Ronaldo, told the Portuguese media that Ronaldo was initially concerned about the state making him look older. “He only asked for some wrinkles that give him a certain expression in his face when he’s about to laugh to be changed. He said it made him look older and asked for it to be thinned out a bit to make it smoother and more jovial. But they gave it the go-ahead before they liked what they saw.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, who led Portugal to the UEFA Euro 2016 crown, is determined to make some noise during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Last Saturday, Ronaldo netted a brace in Portugal's comfortable 3-0 victory over Hungary in a World Cup qualifier game. “I know how many goals I have but that's not the most important thing. What matters is that we won and we're in the fight to go to the World Cup. We started out timid. We were slow to react to their tactics, but everything changed with the first goal. The team played better, more confidently, and the goals came naturally," Ronaldo was quoted as saying by The Independent.