Cristiano Ronaldo statue removed before World Cup success

Cristiano Ronaldo was the Portuguese hero in their World Cup opener.

An infamous statue of Cristiano Ronaldo was removed from Madeira Airport shortly before he scored a hat-trick against Spain at the World Cup.

The record-breaking Portuguese forward led his side to a dramatic 3-3 draw in their World Cup opener in Russia, but the much-ridiculed statue was taken down from the airport on the island of his birth before he took to the field.

The bust had previously been widely mocked on social media sites like Twitter, with some people suggesting that it looked more like something from a children's TV show than a professionally-sculpted piece of art.

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