Cristiano Ronaldo unveils 'horrifying' bronze bust of himself as Madeira airport is renamed in his honour

Seeing double? No? Ronaldo's new likeness could be a lot more like him

Cristiano Ronaldo has helped unveil a new statue in his own honour, as the Aeroporto da Madeira was renamed after the island's most famous son.

What should have been a joyous celebration of a glittering career, though, has been sidetracked by criticism of the Portuguese star's bronze likeness.

Questions have been asked as to whether the face actually resembles Ronaldo's in any way, with other assessments of the sculptor's handiwork ranging from "questionable" to "horrifying".

The Real Madrid forward put on a brave face at the ceremony in Funchal, Madeira on Wednesday, though a man who prides himself so much on his winsome complexion cannot be best pleased with this particular artist's impression of him.

Ronaldo's fans and admirers didn't seem to mind too much as they posed for pictures after the official unveiling.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo attends the ceremony to rename Funchal airport as Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in Funchal — Ronaldo looked in good spirits at the unveiling, despite his fiendish likeness CREDIT:RAFAEL MARCHANTE/REUTERS

Fans were smiling as widely as the statue when posing for pictures with the new Cristiano Ronaldo dedication — Fans were smiling as widely as the statue when posing for pictures

Many have pointed out that this is not the first dedication to the four-time Ballon d'Or winner that has gone awry. Outside his own museum in Funchal, there is an equally ropy full-body effort.

There was also the silver tribute in Madrid that has been accused of depicting Ronaldo as overweight.

Cristiano Ronaldo is seen as a hero on the islands of Madeira, after moving on from his humble beginnings there to become one of the greatest footballers of modern times. As well as his museum and now his airport, Ronaldo has a hotel named for him as well.

A picture taken on March 29, 2017 shows the Madeira airport sign flanked by a portrait of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo during a ceremony where Madeira's airport in Funchal is to be renamed after Cristiano Ronaldo, on Madeira island. Madeira airport, the birthplace of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, was renamed today in honor of the quadruple Ballon d'or and captain of the Portuguese team sacred European champion last summer. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCISCO LEONGFRANCISCO LEONG/AFP/Getty Images — The new Cristiano Ronaldo Airport, with his logo and profile visible bottom-rightCREDIT: FRANCISCO LEONG/AFP/GETTY

After Portugal won Euro 2016 last summer, with Ronaldo captaining the side to their first-ever tournament triumph, the Madeira regional government mandated the airport's name-change – though critics argued that a more distinguished historical figure would have been more appropriate.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of Portugal, insisted the tribute to Ronaldo was legitimate, as he was "an example of excellence [that] projects Madeira and Portugal across the world far more than anybody else".