Statue of Liverpool and Egypt star Mo Salah mocked online

Liverpool and Egypt star Mo Salah has been honoured with a new statue in his home country - but the artwork's questionable appearance has drawn ridicule on social media.

The bust has drawn comparisons with a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo which was widely mocked.

Unveiled at the World Youth Forum in Sharm el Sheikh, the statue shows the 26-year-old forward with his arms aloft and looking to the heavens.

Commentators on social media said the statue of Salah, who scored 32 Premier League goals for Liverpool last season, looked like Daniel Stern's character Marv from Home Alone, a young Arsène Wenger or Art Garfunkel.

Earlier this year a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced at Madeira Airport after it faced widespread criticism.

Now the effort at creating a likeness of Salah is being compared with the Ronaldo statue.

Credit: AP

Of course, these are far from the first statues of sporting stars to gain unfavourable attention.

Here are a few others which have drawn raised eyebrows over the years.

  • Diego Maradona

This depiction of the Argentine hero was unveiled in India in 2017. Credit: AP

  • Andy Murray

Andy Murray standing next to his statue in Shanghai, China, in 2011. Credit: AP

  • David Beckham

Beckham stood 10ft tall and very silver in Los Angeles in 2012. Credit: AP

  • Alan Shearer

This statue of the former Newcastle United striker cost £250,000 to put up outside of St James' Park. Credit: PA

  • Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi

This huge statue captured the moment Zidane headbutted Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final. Credit: AP