Updated March 30, 2017 14:56:49

Photo: People on Twitter were quick to offer their critique of the sculpture. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo had an airport named after him yesterday, but it was his odd-looking statue that attracted attention at the ceremony honouring the Portugal star in his hometown Funchal.

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 chiselled 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.

Cristiano Ronaldo is able to draw the ire of football fans like few others, but perhaps it's time to appreciate one of the game's greats, warts and all.

The Real Madrid forward also attended the ceremony, but he showed no signs of being bothered by the odd look of his newly unveiled bust aside from a light chuckle.

The bust's sculptor, Madeira native Emanuel Santos, said it took him 15 days to create the statue.

He said he presented the project to local officials when it was about half done and received the go-ahead to continue with his work.

"It's always a great honour to work on a project like that," Mr Santos told local television channel RTP.

"I still haven't had the chance to personally talk to [Ronaldo], but I'll try to reach out to him to know his feedback."

The bust received plenty of feedback from the public as people offered their critiques via Twitter.

Many pointed out the similarities between the bust and former Sunderland striker Niall Quinn.

Others were panged with nostalgia for the early years of Art Attack, a British children's program that aired on the ABC during the 90s.

Other resemblances were drawn from the botched restoration of a 19th-century fresco in Spain.

But for some, the bust rang true to their sporting hero.

Ronaldo's full-body statue outside his museum in Funchal also does not do a very good depiction of the Real Madrid star, although it better resembles the player.

AP/ABC

Topics: sport, arts-and-entertainment, sculpture, spain-soccer, soccer, portugal

First posted March 30, 2017 07:48:25