A 12-foot-high statue of soccer legend Diego Maradona has become the latest dodgy depiction of a player to provoke online ridicule.
The 57-year-old Argentine unveiled the bronze likeness at a charity event in Kolkata, India on Monday. The statue was supposed to feature a 25-year-old Maradona, sporting curly locks, and clutching the World Cup trophy he captained his country to in 1986, ESPN reports.
Judging by the online reaction, however, there is little likeness to Maradona. Twitter users have suggested the statue more closely resembles basketball Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird, ex-England soccer manager Roy Hodgson, Welsh soul singer Shirley Bassey, or “someone’s gran.”
The statue’s dubious likeness to its subject has drawn comparisons to a questionable bronze bust of Real Madrid star Christiano Ronaldo, which had to be reworked earlier this year after fierce criticism.
Last year, a bronze statue of late actress Lucille Ball was replaced in New York after a viral campaign to remove the original, dubbed “Scary Lucy.”
Maradona, who has credited divine intervention for his famous “Hand of God” goal in the 1986 World Cup, showed a distinct lack of hubris at the unveiling. “I am not god of football but a simple footballer,” he told the gathered crowd via an interpreter. “I’m happy to be here in Kolkata again. It’s amazing to have my statue here.”
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