Twitter slams 'horrifying' statue of Cristiano Ronaldo which looks 'more like Niall Quinn'

A statue of Cristiano Ronaldo unveiled at Madeira Airport on Wednesday has sent Twitter into meltdown over its apparent likeness to the footballer.

The bronze bust was slammed as "horrifying", "appalling" and "awful" on social media as it and another figure were erected in the star's honour on the Portuguese island.

The Real Madrid maestro was present for the unveiling where Madeira airport was also officially renamed Cristiano Ronaldo airport.

Despite the two statues' vague likeness to him, the 32-year-old - who has won 138 caps for Portugal - still managed to put on a brave face.

Ronaldo, who grew up in Funchal, Madeira, moved to mainland Portugal to join the youth squads of Sporting Lisbon.

He went on to play for Manchester United and Real Madrid, while last year he helped Portugal win the European Championships.

But the sporting icon may have expected a better job from the sculptor of his two statues, as Twitter users suggested.

Some of his fellow football stars even waded in on the fun, with Joey Barton suggesting the bust looked more like ex-Sunderland striker Niall Quinn.