Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has had a mixed afternoon in Portugal, with a ceremony marking an airport being named after him tarnished by the unveiling of an unflattering statue head bearing his face.
The Real Madrid forward attended a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon (local time) on the Portuguese island of Madeira, in which the city's airport was renamed as Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport.
Part of the ceremony was the unveiling of a statue head with Ronaldo's face on it - but rather than having the world's highest-paid athlete's handsome features moulded into the bronze, a slightly disfigured version of him was presented instead.
The statue has since trended online, with the statue's lack of resemblance to Portugal's greatest ever footballer attracting jokes from Twitter users.
Ronaldo later posted a photo of himself at the ceremony, saying he was "happy and honoured" to have his name given to the airport - but there was no mention of the statue.
Ronaldo grew up in Madeira and his story is seen to have embodied the classic tale of rising above poverty and a challenging upbringing to become a success.
The airport's president, Rebelo de Souza, said at the ceremony that the 32-year-old is a better global advocate for both Madeira and Portugal than anyone else.
Newshub.
