By Receiving a statue of oneself is one of the biggest honors in sports. The ultimate testament to your career and physical proof of your legacy.
However, molding a sporting superstar into metal obviously comes with its challenges.
Sometimes, a statue may not always bear a total resemblance to its muse.
The Miami Heat revealed a statue of franchise legend and basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade on Sunday, with the design of the statue immediately going viral and drawing some unwanted comparisons.
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe that. Who is that guy?” Wade said at the unveiling.
Whether Wade was expressing his shock at the sculpture’s design or simply coming to terms with the significance of the moment is up for debate, but he certainly isn’t the only sports star to have a statue draw attention for the wrong reasons.
Legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo received the honor of having an airport in Madeira, Portugal – his place of birth – named after him, though he might have wished that the tributes stopped there.
Instead, he was presented with arguably the most infamous statue of a sports legend ever. A bust of the then-Real Madrid star was unveiled at the airport, sending social media into a frenzy over its perceived likeness – or lack thereof – to its subject.
Some suggested that the bust resembled former Republic of Ireland striker Niall Quinn or former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise.
Despite the backlash, the bust’s artist, Emmanuel Santos, defended the design.
“Even Jesus did not please everyone,” Santos told Portuguese website Globo Sports. “This is a matter of taste, it’s not as simple as it seems.
“What matters is the impact that this work generates. There is always the possibility of making a difference. I used photos of Cristiano Ronaldo and I searched the internet as a base. I put the photos next to me and started working on the bust.
“Cristiano saw the photos that his brother sent him. I was with the brother at Cristiano’s museum in Madeira and from the messages he sent, I could tell that he liked what he saw.”
In 2009, a statue of baseball Hall of Famer Walter Johnson was unveiled outside Nationals Park, the home of the Washington Nationals. Johnson forged a legendary career as a pitcher for the Washington Senators (who eventually relocated to become the Minnesota Twins) between 1907 and 1927.
The statue’s design – which depicts Johnson in various stages of pitching motion – is certainly unique. However, Johnson’s grandson and biographer, Henry Thomas, used different words to describe it.
“It just doesn’t work,” he said. “Those big pieces of matter coming out of Walter’s shoulder look like driftwood. But I don’t like any part of the statue. I really object to it. It’s ridiculous, not even close. He looks awkward. His delivery point is all wrong. His legs are too stiff. The ’W’ on his uniform is too big. And the inscription is on the back (of the base). It doesn’t even face the plaza.”
Andy Murray
While most tennis tournaments like to stick to trophies for their winners, the Shanghai Masters likes to do things differently for its men’s singles winners.
While the champion does get to take home some silverware, they also receive the distinction of seeing their likeness transformed into a terracotta statue.
Designed in the style of China’s famous Terracotta Army, the champion is depicted holding a tennis racket, rather than a weapon.
Great Britain’s Andy Murray won the competition in 2010 and was honored in terracotta form the following year – with the inspiration for the design presumably coming pre-haircut.
Perhaps the statue was a good omen for the Scotsman, who went on to defend his title in 2011 before winning it again in 2016.
Soccer icon Diego Maradona was honored with a striking statue bearing a golden left foot by former club Napoli in 2022 on what would have been his 62nd birthday – Maradona died in 2020.
The Argentinean is synonymous with the Italian club, so it might come as surprise to some that he was also enshrined in statue form in Kolkata, India.
According to Sky Sports, the statue is 12 feet tall, with Maradona himself helping to unveil it at a charity event in 2017. He is shown hoisting the World Cup trophy.
“Good to see the chap that did the Ronaldo one is still in business,” one social media user remarked after the statue was unveiled.
Questionable statues of soccer superstars seem to be somewhat of a theme.
A statue of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was unveiled in his native Egypt in 2018 that showed him with his arms outstretched in his trademark celebration.
The peculiar proportions of the sculpture drew attention, with the figure featuring an oversized head and unusually short and skinny legs.
Even the artist, Mai Abdel Allah, was not totally satisfied with the outcome.
“Bronze did not do it justice and I had no hand in pouring (the mold) in bronze because bronze can only be poured in specific places in Egypt and sculptors cannot do it on their own,” she told Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram online.
“I welcome all criticisms this statue received; this is natural because an artist is subjected to a number of tastes but I am personally not happy with the statue’s final product.”
David Beckham’s celebrity status transcended soccer a long time ago, so it isn’t exactly a surprise to see his likeness used in advertising campaign.
That didn’t make it any less surreal when a silver statue of the Englishman appeared in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2012, depicting Beckham in underwear rather than a soccer uniform.
The sculpture was part of H&M underwear marketing scheme and occurred while Beckham was under contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.
