Possibly one of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game, Cristiano Ronaldo is also the most followed sportsman across the world and each year, millions are inspired to take up the game because of his. With countless achievements to his name during his time with several clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and others, Ronaldo is a role model for every young football-loving kid.
The Portuguese striker is a favourite in the Indian state of Goa as well and very recently, a Rs.12 Lakh worth gold statue was erected of the footballer. The purpose was to inspire youngster as Goa’s has some of the best footballing talent in the country. However, locals of the state have criticised the statue heavily, saying Indian players should be honoured rather than Portuguese players.
Criticism on Goa’s Ronaldo statue
And it’s more hurtful for locals in Goa because the state was under colonial rule of Portugal until a few decades ago and they don’t believe it’s the right thing to honour a Portuguese footballer. Local politician Michael Lobo tweeted saying it was to honour the love of football in general and to inspire youngsters to take football to greater heights.
“For the love of football and at the request of our youth we put up Cristiano Ronaldo’s statue in the park to inspire our youngsters to take football to greater heights. It was an honour to inaugurate the beautification of open space, landscaping, garden with foundation & walkway.” said Lobo on his Twitter handle when the statue was unveiled earlier this week.
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However, he received a lot of flak for the same. One user replied saying that he would’ve loved to see Sunil Chhetri’s statue out there rather than Ronaldo’s. Another user replied to his tweet saying, “60th year of liberation from Portuguese rule and you decide to do this?” However, many users also supported the erection of this statue, considering Ronaldo in one of the greatest footballers of all time.
For the love of football and at the request of our youth we put up Cristiano Ronaldo's statue in the park to inspire our youngsters to take football to greater heights. It was an honour to inaugurate the beautification of open space, landscaping, garden with foundation & walkway. pic.twitter.com/VU5uvlSlMT
— Michael Lobo (@MichaelLobo76) December 28, 2021
Protests against Ronaldo statue in Goa
“Very disappointed to hear of the statue of Ronaldo being erected. Learn to take pride in our own icons like Samir Naik and Bruno Coutinho,” said one protester at the venue. The 400kg statue of the Manchester United striker was unveiled in Calangute in Goa and Michael Lobo replied later, accusing locals of hating football by protesting the statue.
“When people talk about football, they talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. So we have installed this statue here so boys and girls at a very, very young age get inspiration, they feel inspired, and the love and passion for this game will grow,” said Lobo. Incidentally, it’s not the first time a Ronaldo statue has gained criticism, having happened in Madeira in 2014 and once later in 2017 as well.
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