Cristiano Ronaldo sculptor defends his work: ‘Jesus didn’t please everyone’
The sculptor behind the controversial Cristiano Ronaldo statue has defended his work and insisted the Real Madrid forward is happy with the final product.
Madeiran artist Emanuel Santos was tasked with creating the image of Ronaldo and spent three weeks on the project.
The Aeroporto da Madeira in Ronaldo's home town of Funchal was officially renamed after the Portugal international in a ceremony on Wednesday, with a bronze bust of the 32-year-old unveiled.
Pictures of the bust were shared widely on social media, with some critics suggesting it bore more of a resemblance to former Arsenal and Manchester City forward Niall Quinn or The Head from BBC television programme 'Art Attack' than Ronaldo.
But Santos said both he, and Ronaldo, were happy with it.
"Cristiano saw the photos that his brother sent him," Santos told Globo.com.
"I was with his brother at Cristiano's museum in Madeira and from the messages he sent, I could tell that he liked what he saw.
"He only asked for some wrinkles that gave 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 and they liked what they saw."
But Santos added: "It is impossible to please the Greeks and Trojans. Neither did Jesus please everyone.
"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."
