Infamous Cristiano Ronaldo bust gets much-needed makeover

Up until Friday, this was the face that greeted travellers in Madeira Islands. (Armando Franca/AP)

The face of international soccer is looking a little better these days.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored three gorgeous goals in Portugal’s World Cup opener against Spain on Friday, and while things ended in a 3-3 draw on the pitch, the superstar enjoyed a small victory back home thanks to a bronze makeover.

If you’ll recall back in March 2017, the international airport located in Ronaldo’s native Madeira Islands officially changed its name to Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo. Part of the re-naming ceremony also including the unveiling of a commemorative plaque as well as the bronze bust of Ronaldo that, uh… took our breath away.

Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, left, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, 2nd left and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldostand next to a bust of the player at the Madeira international airport outside Funchal, the capital of Madeira island, Portugal, Wednesday March 29, 2017. (Armando Franca/AP)

Sports Twitter was not kind, as the bust was met with ruthless ridicule.

But on Friday, quietly and without ceremony, that bust was replaced at the request of Ronaldo’s family. A definite upgrade, though the jury’s still out on whether this one looks all that much like him either.

It’s unclear who created this latest version, but it wasn’t Emanuel Santos — the artist responsible for the infamous first rendition. According to Bleacher Report, which actually commissioned Santos to redo the bust after he was ruthlessly ridiculed for his first attempt, Santos was not informed about the swap.

Now, because sports Twitter has quite the sense of humour, there’s an online petition making the rounds to bring back the original. We haven’t seen the last of Ronaldo’s heroics on the pitch, and perhaps we haven’t seen the last of this bronze drama, either.

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