A newly unveiled statue of Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo is dividing opinion in India. Placed in the western Goa state, where football is hugely popular, officials hope it will inspire young people.
However, not everyone is happy with the towering brass statue that now graces a park in a coastal village. Critics say local football players should have been honoured, especially since several past and present members of India’s national team are Goan.
Portugal is a popular team in Goa, which is a former European colony, and many locals have lived in Portugal or have family there.
But some people in the Indian state think it is insulting to install the statue during the 60th-anniversary celebrations of Goa finally gaining independence from Portugal, which happened 14 years after the rest of India was liberated from British rule.
Source: BBC
