He is one of the most recognizable stars in the world. One of the greatest footballers to have ever played the beautiful game. But Cristiano Ronaldo does not have much luck when it comes to statues and sculptures.
To mark this year’s World Cup in Russia, an ice sculpture of the Real Madrid star has been unveiled in Moscow.
And the glacial effigy is attracting attention not for its likeness to the five-time World Player of the Year, but for its similarity to another statue of the footballer which provoked mirth on social media last year.
In March, a bronze bust of Ronaldo by Emanuel Santos, which was unveiled at Madeira airport, was ridiculed on social media for bearing little resemblance to the man himself. It was replaced in November by a new bust which carried a better likeness.
The Madeira bust brouhaha followed another Ronaldo statue unveiling in 2014 which had also caused plenty of merriment on social media because, yes, you guessed it, the 10ft bronze statue in his home town looked nothing like the Portuguese star.
And so to a new year, but a recurring problem for sculptors — how to carve a likeness of one of sport’s greats?
Fortunately for the former Manchester United forward, this latest interpretation in Moscow’s Park Pobedy will have melted away by the time the World Cup starts in June.