Cristiano Ronaldo gets airport named in his honour

[Truth_hurts]

Local aiport in Madeira Islands named Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo now has an international airport named after him. The Real Madrid striker was joined on Wednesday by dozens of guests and hundreds of fans in his native Madeira Islands for an official ceremony renaming the local airport as Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

 

Portugal’s president and the prime minister flew to the island and unveiled a commemorative plaque outside the terminal entrance, above a bust of Ronaldo.

 

The 32-year-old Ronaldo is a local hero in Madeira, where he is seen as a rags-to-riches success. He already has a statue, a museum and a hotel named after him in Madeira. “You know how proud I am of my roots, my homeland,†Ronaldo, wearing a dark suit and tie, said in a speech.

 

The four-time player of the year has made a record 138 national team appearances for Portugal and is the team’s top scorer with 71 goals.

 

The change was decided by the Madeira regional government after Portugal won the 2016 European Championship. Critics said a more distinguished historical figure would be more appropriate. Petitions were started for and against the change.

 

Ronaldo acknowledged that it was rare for a public figure to be honoured while still alive, saying he was aware that some people didn’t agree with the name change. However, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the tribute was legitimate because it was decided by an elected government.

 

Ronaldo, Rebelo de Sousa said in his speech, is “an example of excellence†and “projects Madeira and Portugal across the world far more than anybody else.â€

 

Ronaldo is not the first football player with his name on an airport. In Northern Ireland, an airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport in 2006, a year after the local player and former Manchester United winger died.

 

In Funchal, the regional government provided transport to the outdoor ceremony for schoolchildren and elderly people at care homes. Also present were players and officials from the local Andorinha soccer club, where Ronaldo started when he was seven years old.

 

Tourism is the economic mainstay of Madeira, which lies about 500km (310 miles) off the north-west coast of Africa. About 2.5 million passengers use the airport annually. The terminal is a low, two-story building next to an oceanside runway where landings are famous for sometimes being hairy because of crosswinds.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/mar/29/cristiano-ronaldo-gets-airport-named-in-his-honour-and-a-dubious-bust

 

 

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A statue of Cristiano Ronaldo's head was unveiled on Wednesday.

 

The tribute marked the renaming of Madeira airport to Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo poses with his new statue.

 

 

 

"Thank you for being here in my honour. Seeing my name being given to this airport is something very special, everyone knows that I am proud of my country and especially my home city.

 

"Thank you very much to the president of the regional government Miguel Albuquerque for having had the courage and the firmness to do it.

 

"I will try to dignify Portugal and especially Madeira with a spirit of sacrifice, dignity and passion."

 

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/the-toe-poke/65/post/3091719/real-madrid-superstar-cristiano-ronaldo-face-to-face-with-peculiar-statue-of-head?sf66601565=1

[Deâ„“phina]

 

 

OMG WHO DID THIS TO HIS BEAUTIFUL FACE NOOOOOOOOOOO

[tipsy love]

ooomg that statue... poor Cristiano

[al qaeda]

that statue is iconic

[Minji Bot]

that statue... omg

[Truth_hurts]

Cristiano Ronaldo sculptor: it is impossible to please everyone

 

The sculptor who made the bronze bust of Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that his creation may not be to everybody’s taste but insisted the Real Madrid striker had given his seal of approval before it was unveiled.

 

Emanuel Santos, a Madeiran artist, was chosen to recreate the image of the four-time Fifa player of the year which will adorn the newly named Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo in Funchal after offering his services to the owner of the airport, where he was previously employed. Santos spent three weeks creating the bust before it was sent to the Portuguese mainland to be cast in bronze.

 

It was then unveiled on Wednesday by Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and will be on permanently on show outside the terminal entrance. But while social media users delighted in pointing out that rather than looking like the 32-year-old Real Madrid forward the bust was a closer resemblance to the former Republic of Ireland striker Niall Quinn, Santos insisted he was happy with his creation.

 

“It is impossible to please the Greeks and Trojans. Neither did Jesus please everyone,†he said. “This is a matter of taste, so it is not as simple as it seems. What matters is the impact that this work generated. There is always the possibility of making a difference, I was prepared for all this. I used as a base some photos of Cristiano Ronaldo that I found on the internet, nothing specific. I put the photos next to me and started working on the bust.â€

 

Ronaldo appeared to see the funny side at Wednesday’s ceremony but Santos was adamant that the 32-year-old had given the bust his blessing – after some minor alterations.

 

“Cristiano saw the photos that his brother sent him. I was with the brother at Cristiano’s museum in Madeira and from the messages he sent, I could tell that he liked what he saw,†he said. “He only asked for some wrinkles that give him a certain expression in his face when he’s about to laugh to be changed. He said it made him look older and asked for it to be thinned out a bit to make it smoother and more jovial. But they gave it the go-ahead; they liked what they saw.â€

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/mar/30/cristiano-ronaldo-sculptor-impossible-everyone

[angy]

The statue is iconic tbh

[magalii]

I can't look at the statue and not laugh.

[timpa]

Lee Junki should feel better about his wax figure compared to this statue

[Hoplz]

Lee Junki should feel better about his wax figure compared to this statue

OMG he has a wax figure ??

[timpa]

OMG he has a wax figure ??

Some Chinese place did one like 8 years ago.

 

 

Suzy got one in the Madam tussauds which was much higher quality and k netz were comparing.