Can you recognise these iconic players from their TERRIBLE statues?
These players are all iconic names in the footballing world, starring for club and country. But can YOU recognise them from their TERRIBLE statues?
- Iconic players have been honoured with statues over the years
- Some have turned out terribly and don’t look like the player at all
- Sportsmail has put together a list of some of the worst football statues ever
When it comes to football, there are all kinds of ways of giving a player the recognition they deserve.
Each week we hear songs sung from the stands, ripples of applauses for moments of quality, and even standing ovations if someone has performed particularly well.
But statues – those are reserved for the special few. The legends of the game. These only come after a period of sustained success, be that for a particular club or international team.
Yet statues don’t always look great. Quite the opposite, in fact, they can look pretty horrible.
So can you recognise these five contenders for the worst statues in football history? Give yourself a pat on the back if you get them all!
Cristiano Ronaldo
Let’s start with the most famous statue shocker.
Putting a statue in someone’s hometown may sound like a nice gesture, but Cristiano Ronaldo probably wishes he’d never seen the one of himself outside an airport in Madeira.
The bronze statue was unveiled in March 2017, less than a year after Ronaldo had won Euro 2016 with Portugal, and the forward went to see it himself, only it did not look much like him at all.
Instead, it drew comparisons to former Sunderland striker Niall Quinn and ex-Charlton defender Paul Konchesky.
Ronaldo had to grin and bear it, but inside he must have been fuming!
Ronaldo was honoured with a statue in his hometown of Madeira in 2017
Mohamed Salah
A year after Ronaldo’s statue was made, Mohamed Salah got his own one in his homeland. Once again, it wasn’t particularly good.
The statue was meant to be of Salah with his arms outstretched celebrating a goal, and the sculptors did not get too much wrong with the Egyptian’s iconic haircut.
But some unknown reason they decided to give him the body of a child.
The winger is known for being ripped and almost impossible to knock off the ball when he’s on the pitch, yet they opted to go with a very slim body and tiny legs.
Fans were left bemused by the figure, and it’s hard to believe that Salah would have been impressed by it either.
Mohamed Salah was recognised with a statue back in Egypt in 2018
Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero produced an unforgettable moment in Manchester City’s history when he netted the goal that handed them their first Premier League title in 2012.
Ten years later, they decided to honour that goal and his memorable celebration with a statue outside the Etihad Stadium.
It was supposed to be a touching tribute to the club’s record goalscorer, showing the Argentine whirling his shirt around his head following his goal against QPR.
Yet it only attracted ridicule from fans, who felt it looked more like Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos.
Aguero returned to Manchester and politely claimed that the statue was ‘very special’ to him.
Manchester City erected a statue of Sergio Aguero celebrating his iconic goal against QPR
Samuel Eto’o
Samuel Eto’o holds the record for international goals for Cameroon. In fact, he’s 21 goals clear of his closest challenger, having netted 56 times for his country.
He also won the Africa Cup of Nations twice in 2000 and 2002, and is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, highlighting how he has been a key figure in his country for well over two decades.
If anyone deserves a statue, it’s him. But he also deserves a good statue, and unfortunately he didn’t get that.
Eto’o was one of the most hard-working forwards of the modern era, even playing out on the wing when Inter Milan won the Champions League in 2010, while also being capable of scoring brilliant goals.
The statue was meant to capture him giving his all on the pitch, but it literally could have been anybody.
Samuel Eto’o has a statue to recognise his achievements for Cameroon
There are a number of statues of Messi across the world, which is hardly a surprise considering he is viewed by many fans has the greatest player to ever grace the game.
Not all of them are any good, though.
There is one in India of the 35-year-old Argentine doing his customary celebration of looking up into sky while also having his fingers pointed to the heavens.
Only Messi’s hair quiff looks to be overdone, and it does not look like his face at all.
There are likely to be more statues of Messi in the coming weeks and months following Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar. Hopefully they will be able to do the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner justice.
Lionel Messi has statues all around the world in recognition of his glittering career
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