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High Five: 5 statues of stars that don't hit the mark

Antje Binder ad
April 10, 2018

Sculptures depicting stars are usually intended as an honor, but some of them end up as the butt of a joke. The bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport of Madeira isn't the only flop.

https://p.dw.com/p/2vjcN
Cristiano Ronaldo Statue Büste
Image: picture alliance/abaca

Emanuel Santos just couldn't get over the criticism he had to endure after presenting his much-derided sculpture of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport of Madeira. The artist dared to make a second work public.

His first attempt began in early 2017. The sculptor, born and raised on Madeira, learned that the Funchal airport was to be named after football star Cristiano Ronaldo, also from the Portuguese island. That incited Santos to form a bust of clay that he proudly presented to the airport authorities. Fascinated by the artwork, they agreed to have it cast in bronze and to put it up in the airport's entrance hall.

The world was still in order until the sculpture was unveiled in a pompous ceremony. Despite his surprised reaction, even Ronaldo was said to be pleased about it. At least he didn't protest against it.

But it didn't take long for the statue with  to be ridiculed on social media, with memes focusing on Ronaldo's hanging left eye and his strange smile.

The US sports magazine Bleacher Report gave the sculptor a second chance by commissioning another statue of the footballer. Critics agree that the result looks at lot more like the original than the artist's first attempt. But some wonder whether a sculpture must in all cases resemble the original.

This week's High Five ranking shows that it's not always the case: