That Cristiano Ronaldo statue has finally been replaced at Madeira Airport

The infamous bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira Airport has been replaced by a new model.

The sculpture of the Portugal captain gained worldwide notoriety when it was unveiled last year to a less than impressed audience.

Pictures were shared on social media and the consensus was it bore more resemblance to The Head from Art Attack or former striker Niall Quinn than the Real Madrid hero.

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Madeiran artist Emanuel Santos spent three weeks creating the statue as part of the celebrations to mark the re-naming of the airport to bear the name of Ronaldo.

Santos said at the time of the unveiling: “This is a matter of taste, so it is not as simple as it seems. What matters is the impact that this work generated.”

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Ronaldo is out in Russia for the World Cup and has been the leading light of the tournament so far after his incredible hat-trick against Spain in a 3-3 thriller on Friday night.

That came just hours after the much-ridiculed piece of artwork was replaced with a much more lifelike representation of the superstar in his homeland.

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However, images circulating of the new sculpture have left some fans pining for the original version and a petition has been started to demand its return.

The petition, on peticaopublica.com, is titled ‘Petition for the immediate return of Cristiano Ronaldo’s bust to Madeira airport’.

It calls the original bust ‘an attraction for our island’ and said its substitute was unacceptable.

Ronaldo was born and raised on Madeira.