Madeira renamed its airport in honour of football star Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday - although it is a new statue of the four-times world player of the year that is likely to grab the headlines.
The Atlantic island is where Ronaldo grew up, and the airport in its capital Funchal will now be known as "Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo".
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Ronaldo honoured with bizarre bust
The airport in Madeira, Portugal, is renamed in honour of Cristiano Ronaldo, but a new statue of the football star overshadows the event.
The ceremony followed Portugal playing their first match on the island for 16 years, the hosts losing 3-2 to Sweden despite an early Ronaldo goal in the friendly on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, 32, was accompanied to the airport renaming by his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and mother Maria, and heads were turned when a statue with a debatable likeness to the image-conscious Real Madrid forward was unveiled.
![Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo stands next to the dubious statue.](/web/20170330174027im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/9/g/x/r/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gv9gxl.png/1490823005483.jpg)
Not everyone on Madeira agrees with the decision to rename the airport after Ronaldo, but his national-hero status was confirmed last year when he led Portugal to victory in the European Championship.
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.
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. Not everyone was impressed by the bust.
Is that a statue of Ronaldo or Sloth? Lmao pic.twitter.com/x1vs0K3Qm5
— Luke Monica (@Luke_Monica) March 29, 2017
I defy you not to feel better after viewing this picture of Cristiano Ronaldo alongside his portrait bust. pic.twitter.com/kBCc7RtoUC
— Tom Sutcliffe (@tds153) March 29, 2017
Cristiano Ronaldo's new statue..
— Football Stuff (@FootbalIStuff) March 29, 2017
Close enough! 👀 pic.twitter.com/W0DDmnVnE5
The Cristiano Ronaldo bust at the airport carrying his name. This is Art Attack... pic.twitter.com/tTVmQBMgms
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) March 29, 2017
— neil mccauley (@the_blueprint) March 29, 2017
New horror movie trope: Ronaldo's bronze face. pic.twitter.com/MKrumgHdLv
— The Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) March 29, 2017
I don't know what you're talking about guys, I think the Ronaldo statue looks pretty good pic.twitter.com/JIUwQBuqUY
— keewa (@keewa) March 29, 2017
![A boy takes a selfie next to the bust of Cristiano Ronaldo.](/web/20170330174027im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/9/g/x/u/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gv9gxl.png/1490822792978.jpg)
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 for him in Madeira.
"You know how proud I am of my roots, my homeland," Ronaldo said.
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."
Ronaldo is not the first soccer 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.
AP/Reuters