Christiano Ronaldo’s new statue erected in his birthplace in Madeira

CHRISTIANO RONALDO’S NEW STATUE ERECTED IN HIS BIRTHPLACE IN MADEIRA

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has had a giant statue erected in his honour.

The Portuguese international travelled home to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where he posed in front of the sculpture with his family.

And it is hard to argue with the sentiment, as Ronaldo is easily the island’s biggest export. There is already a ‘CR7’ museum in Funchal, the city in which he was born.

It was no surprise to see Ronaldo make the effort to travel home, where he was pictured hanging out next to the statue with friends and family.

The life-size replica of the Madrid maestro sees him in his infamous free-kick pose, and large crowds gathered to see the unveiling on Sunday.

The former Manchester United man was at the presentation fresh from Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over San Lorenzo in the FIFA Club World Cup Final on Saturday.

There are, and will always be, arguments over whether Ronaldo is the best player in the world. He faces stiff competition from Lionel Messi, of course.

In Madeira though, one man is head and shoulders above the rest.