The art of carving the perfect statue is clearly a difficult one to nail, even for the most talented and professional of sculptors. 

This week The Big Issue revealed pictures of a long-awaited resemblance of England captain Harry Kane commissioned by Waltham Forest Council. 

But the reaction to the £7,200 statue did not quite go down as anticipated, as fans were quick to pronounce it the ‘stuff of nightmares’. 

One asked: ‘Does any professional footballer have a decent statue? Why do they all look so bad?’ 

But it is not just footballers who have had unfortunate likenesses of themselves made – and some are so suspect that they are even unrecognisable. 

From the world’s most famous figures, including royals, celebrities and sporting giants, many have been made a victim of the dodgy statue curse. 

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at some of the worst offenders, both in the UK and abroad. 

But can you guess who they’re meant to be? Take a look below. 

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1. Cristiano Ronaldo 

This horrific bust of Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the world’s most famous shocking statue. 

The bronze statue was unveiled in March 2017, less than a year after Ronaldo had won Euro 2016 with Portugal. 

It stands outside an airport in Madeira, the famous player’s hometown, in what was meant to be a nice gesture. 

The forward, 39, has even visited the statue – and would definitely have been in for a shock. 

2. Melania Trump

In 2019, conceptual artist Ales Maxi Zupevc created what she claimed was the first-ever monument of Melania Trump – and unbelievably, it wasn’t the last. 

Unveiled near the former First Lady’s hometown in Slovenia, some described the wooden statue as a ‘disgrace’, saying it looked like a ‘Smurfette’. 

But the statue, carved from a tree trunk, didn’t last long as it was burned down that year by unnamed arsonists. 

Months later, it found a new lease of life and was replaced with a bronze version.  

3. Mo Salah 

If you’re not sure who this statue is meant to be, we really wouldn’t blame you. 

The creation of Mo Salah was made by Egyptian sculptor Mai Abdel Allah went on display at the World Youth Forum in Sharm El Sheikh. 

The incarnation of the Liverpool player, 31, seems decidedly out of proportion.  

But it wasn’t long before people compared it to characters such as Marv from Home Alone and Dobby from Harry Potter. 

‘Why does he have the body of an eight-year-old?’ one fan asked.  

4. Lucille Ball 

In 2009, a statue of American actress and comedian Lucille Ball was unveiled in her hometown in Celoron, New York. 

Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Lucille passed away in 1989 aged 77.  

A Facebook page even sprung up called ‘We love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue!’ and locals knew it as ‘Scary Lucy’. 

Even artist Dave Poulin was forced to admit that the work was a bit ‘unsettling’. 

However, Lucille’s statue was also one that didn’t end up standing the test of time, and it was replaced in 2016. 

5. The Queen and Prince Philip  

This gigantic 12ft terracotta head is actually meant to resemble the late Queen Elizabeth II – and what’s more, there is one of her husband Prince Philip too. 

Owner Ben Bennett found the regal sculptures in a house clearance and erected them on his lawn in Windsor. 

After owning them for 12 years since the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, he has now put them up for sale for £2,000. 

So if you’d like to snatch these sculptures for your own garden, you better hurry. 

Make sure you have plenty of space though, as they are 18 feet wide. 

6. Kate Moss 

Kate Moss was as you’ve never seen her before in a gold statue once displayed at the British Museum. 

It cost more than £1.5million to make in 2008, and £1million of that was the price of the 18 carat gold.  

The supermodel was for some reason twisted like a pretzel and the artwork was called ‘Siren’. 

But Kate herself seemed to be a fan according to artist Marc Quinn, who said at the time: ‘When I showed Kate the statue she told me she loved it.

‘She really liked the idea and she modelled for me for a day or so.

‘She didn’t pose for me like that. For Kate, she thinks it lifts her into a mythic level. I think she very much loved it because she understands the difference between her image and her self.

‘The sculpture is really about whether we make images or they make us. It’s about trying to live up to impossible dreams and immortality.’

7. Johnny Depp  

Johnny Depp unveiled this statue of himself at a Serbian film festival in 2010. 

But the Pirates of the Caribbean star couldn’t help but look slightly amused at his ‘likeness’ of him in 1993 film Arizona Dream. 

And as he stood next to his statue, it was clear to make out where the likeness hadn’t entirely worked. 

8. Andy Murray

The main – and only – thing Andy Murray had in common with his statue was his characteristically solemn expression. 

Organisers at the 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament immortalised him in terracotta for the occasion. 

The statue made sure he looked like a warrior, instead of a tennis player, even giving him a coat of armour. 

If Andy was confused by his statue, he tried very hard not to show it.  

9. Greta Thunberg

The University of Winchester’s statue of Greta Thunberg was created for a whopping £24,000. 

The statue of the Swedish activist named ‘Make A Difference’ was unveiled outside the university’s main entrance in March 2021 but was moved to a more secluded spot this January. 

After its installation, the sculpture – which was commissioned by the institution – created a backlash among students and locals alike who accused the university of ‘wasting money on meaningless statues’. 

Locals in the Hampshire city also expressed bemusement over the sculpture as the activist had no link to the area.

10. Colin Firth  

The 1995 scene from Pride and Prejudice where Colin Firth as Mr Darcy emerges from a lake with a wet shirt was once voted the most memorable moment in British TV drama. 

But some fans seemed to take it too far – and a 12ft version of Mr Darcy was placed in the Serpentine Lake in London’s Hyde Park in 2013. 

The massive statue looked rather intimidating in its new home in the lake, and even went on to tour around the rest of the UK. 

The model took a team of three sculptors more than two months to design, construct and paint and measured 12 feet – the equivalent to the height of a double decker bus. 

Lead sculptor Toby Crowther said they also got inspiration from the book and the other actors who have played Mr Darcy over the years. 

He said at the time: ‘We took Colin Firth’s famous lake scene as a starting point for creating Mr Darcy but we also read the book and looked at performances of the brooding hero by Matthew Macfadyen, David Rintoul and even Laurence Olivier.

‘The challenge for us was capturing the spirit of Darcy as handsome and noble but also aloof and proud. The Mr Darcy sculpture is a real mix of the many portrayals of Jane Austen’s most famous hero.’

MANCHESTER UNITED fans will be pleased to hear that their new owner has good taste in footballers.

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed who he believes is the best player to ever pull on a Man Utd shirt.

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The British billionaire had his takeover of 25 percent of the Manchester club confirmed by the Premier League last month, marking a new era for the football giant.

And in addition to his deep pockets, Ratcliffe also brings a wealth of experience with sporting success at the top level and perhaps most importantly, a love for the club he now co-owns.

The Ineos CEO is a lifelong fan of Manchester United and was revealed at the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast who is his favorite Red Devil of all time.

He said: “The best to ever play for United? Probably Ronaldo, I think. I think Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Before adding that another player had his heart, he said: “George Best was, I think, probably the most naturally gifted player I ever saw play football.”

Ronaldo and Best won 15 trophies between them in both their spells as players at the Theater of Dreams – a feat that still seems a long way off for the current United team.

But if there was one player Ratcliffe wished he could drop into Erik ten Hag’s current Old Trafford team to revive their form and replenish their trophy cabinet, it wouldn’t be Ronaldo or Best.

In fact, the 71-year-old pointed to a star who won an impressive 11 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and two League Cups.

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When asked who he would like to add to the current Man Utd squad, he said: “Paul Scholes is the one I would bring in.

“I think this is the player they miss the most. They have a few players who, not Roy Keane, but can play defensively in midfield, like Casemiro and [Kobbie] Mainoo.

“But they don’t have a player like Paul Scholes or Iniesta.”

Ten Hag would almost certainly kill for a player of Scholes’ quality to help get his team out of a turbulent season.

But the Red Devils boss will be heartened by his side’s spectacular late 4-3 win over Liverpool to book a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.

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Tempers flared as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr took on rivals Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro-League.

And that led to the game being stopped after Ronaldo’s teammate was hit on the head with a water bottle.

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The incident took place after Ronaldo thought he had given his team a 1-0 lead.

Bottles rained down on the Al-Nassr team as they celebrated, with one hitting Otavio on the head and bursting on impact.

The player immediately fell to the ground and his teammates begged the crowd to stop launching projectiles.

There was a hostile atmosphere at King Abdullah Sports City from the start, with fans chanting Messi’s name at Ronaldo throughout.

Al-Ahli is one of four teams owned by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund and has stars in their side.

As rivals to Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli has included Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin in their squad.

Al-Nassr would go on to win the match 1-0 via a Ronaldo penalty, ultimately giving him the last laugh.

After scoring, Ronaldo and co gave something back to the Al-Ahli fans in a playful way.

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Fully prepared for the barrage of water bottles, the players did tricks and kicks with the bottles this time.

The game broke into full-time anarchy, with several players clashing.

Sadio Mane grabbed a player by the throat, but the referee left it unpunished.

Ronaldo is the top scorer in the Saudi league, with 23 goals to his name this season.

However, the goals were not enough to shoot Al-Nassr to the top of the league as they trail Al-Hilal by nine points.

Al-Hilal are undefeated in the league and have won their last 28 matches.

RONALDO has made three changes to his all-time best squad… but some fans were left unimpressed with the team.

The Brazilian icon, 47, named a squad in September and raised eyebrows by leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo.

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It was also an incredibly strong Brazil team, with six of the eleven coming from Ronaldo’s home country.

Now he has made a few changes to that line-up, but has stuck with the same goalkeeper as Juventus and Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon.

He also made no changes to his full-backs, the Brazilian duo Cafu and Roberto Carlos.

Paolo Maldini remains one of his centre-backs, but German legend Franz Beckenbauer has been dropped for 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro.

In midfield, Ronaldo has opted for three iconic players, all of whom are much more attacking than defensive.

They are Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona and Pele.

Maradona and Pele were selected by Ronaldo last year, but Zidane will replace Zico in the new team he named after The mail.

And the latest change comes when Ronaldinho makes way for the Portuguese Ronaldo – who guides Lionel Messi and R9 himself.

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Still, some fans ridiculed the team, with one social media user saying: “R9 is about to lose your credibility.”

Another added: “Today’s Arsenal would beat that team 5-0 unless you replace Messi with Ronaldinho.”

A third replied: “That team looks good on paper but would be destroyed. No balance.”

While a fourth replied: “No Ronaldinho, not a good list.”

Cristiano Ronaldo was the only player of Al Nassr’s four penalty takers to score as they lost 3–1.

Riyadh: It was a huge sadness for Cristiano Ronaldo and his fans when Al Nassr were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League on Monday. UAE’s Al Ain won the match on penalties. It was disappointing to see Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic and Otavio fail to convert their penalties in the shootout, with Cristiano Ronaldo the only player of Al Nassr’s four penalty takers to score as they lost 3–1. Ronaldo scored a penalty with just two minutes left in extra time, after Abdulrahman Abdullah Ghareeb and Telles had both scored, along with an own goal from Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.

Soufiane Rahimi, the only scorer from the first leg, was much more clinical on Monday. The Moroccan scored twice in the first half to give former champions Al-Ain a 3-0 lead.

Just before half-time, however, Abdulrahman Ghareeb pulled one back for Al-Nassr, and shortly afterwards an own goal from Eisa made it 2-2 that evening.

With 18 minutes of normal time remaining, former Manchester United defender Alex Telles scored for Al-Nassr to force the match into extra time.

Al-Ain restored the lead through Sultan Al Shamsi, but with 118 minutes on the clock Ronaldo scored from the spot to level the score at 4-4. In the shootout, Ronaldo found the net, while Marcelo Brozovic, Telles and Otavio all failed.

Al-Ain will face more Saudi Arabian opposition in the last four. Four-time champion Al-Hilal has a 2-0 lead against two-time champion Al-Ittihad in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

In the eastern zone, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Ulsan HD meet on Tuesday. The South Korean teams are tied 1-1 after the first leg. Yokohama F.Marinios from Japan has a 2-1 lead over China’s Shandong Taishan in the other quarter.

(With input from the agency)

CRISTIANO RONALDO has produced one of the misses of the season for Al-Nassr.

The experienced striker somehow missed the target from the six-yard box against Al-Ain on Monday evening.

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Ronaldo had been given the chance to equalize the AFC Champions League quarter-final after the goalkeeper spilled a shot.

However, after jumping on the rebound, he put his effort wide of the post.

He was left with his head in his hands as his teammates looked on in shock after the rejected opportunity.

It comes after he was mocked by fans during the first leg in the United Arab Emirates last week.

Reacting to the miss on social media, one fan said: “Messi could never do that.”

Another said: “How did Ronaldo miss from here?”

A third fan also wrote: “My goat would never do that.”

Meanwhile, someone else said: ‘Call it a day buddy.’

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The miss proved crucial as Al-Nassr won 3-2 in regular time, with the quarter-final draw ending 3-3 on aggregate.

Had Ronaldo scored, his side would have progressed to the semi-finals without the need for extra time.

Instead, they were forced to play the final 22 minutes of extra time with 10 men before losing 3–1 on penalties.

Ronaldo did get on the scoresheet, however, with his 118th-minute penalty sending the match into penalties after Al-Ain regained the lead on aggregate.

However, he was the only Al-Nassr player to find the net in the shootout, as they missed out on the last four places.

Ronaldo’s goal was his 29th in all competitions this season, alongside 11 assists in 32 appearances.

The 39-year-old is the current top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 22 goals in the competition.

Despite these goals, Al-Nassr is twelve points behind unbeaten leader Al-Hilal with eleven games to go.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO has finally apologized for a rude gesture towards fans.

The Al Nassr hero was banned for one match and fined £6,3000 for an arm signal in response to ‘Messi’ taunts from Al Shabab supporters last month.

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The 39-year-old legend has spoken out and claimed his action was ‘very normal’ in Europe – but has vowed not to do it again in Saudi Arabia.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, who earns £170million a year, blames his behavior on the ‘passion’ of football.

The Portuguese star told a press conference: “I will always respect the cultures of all countries, as I have respected to this day, but not always what people see is reality.

“As I said and I will say it again: it is clear that I will not do it again in this country, but in Europe it is very normal.

“Sometimes the passion and excitement of the game causes us to make mistakes.”

Ronaldo’s hand gesture came at the end of a 3-2 Saudi Pro League win over Al Shabab in which he struck a penalty opener.

Home fans had chanted “Messi Messi” at him, which led to Ron making an X-rated move.

His resulting suspension meant he missed a 4–4 draw against Al Hazm four days later on 29 February.

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Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr remains second, 12 points behind leaders Al-Hilal.

They face Al-Ain in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League on Monday

The UAE side led 1-0 from the first leg but Ronaldo has delivered a glittering message ahead of the second leg.

He said: “We will not spare a drop of sweat for the fans of Al Nassr. Tomorrow, remontada!”

The latter word is Spanish for fighting back and is often used in sports.

CRISTIANO RONALDO did not attend last night’s fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou despite a seat being reserved for him.

The heavyweight match took place in Riyadh, where Ronaldo now plies his trade with Al-Nassr.

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There appeared to be a front row seat left open for the 39-year-old, with the text ‘CR7’ written on it.

Ronaldo‘s chair would have been next one to Saudi royal advisor Turki Alalshikh.

Despite the front row vantage point being left open for him with a personalized embossed seat – instead of a paper printout like most celebrities in the stands – Ronaldo was a no-show.

Regardless of his absence, there were celebrities football faces in the house.

Brazilian icon Ronaldo showed up to watch the action and witnessed Joshua’s brutal second-round knockout of Ngannou.

Jose Mourinho was also present and could be seen filming the events on his phone.

Portuguese Ronaldo met Francis Ngannou in October and even had a photo taken with the Cameroonian’s mother.

He sat ringside next to partner Georgina Rodriguez for Ngannou’s fight with Tyson Fury.

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Ronaldo recently got into trouble in the Saudi Pro League.

The five times Ballon d’Or The winner was given a one-match ban and £4,190 for making an “obscene gesture” during a match last month.

He then missed his side’s 4–4 draw against Al-Hazm.

Ronaldo returned for his team’s most recent match, scoring a penalty in a 3–2 win over Al-Shabab.

During the match he was again taunted with Lionel Messi chants by opposition fans.

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FOUR mega-rich sports stars look good with a Saudi mogul in a billion-pound line-up.

Boxers Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou were joined in Riyadh by footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and promoter Turki Alalshikh.

It was a rare joint appearance between Joshua – reportedly worth £200million – and his £125million rival Fury.

Their combined fortune amounts to just over half of the estimated £600 million they have amassed Ronaldo.

Meanwhile, Alalshikh, nicknamed His Excellency for his ability to make fight deals, is worth £70m, while Ngannou is the pauper of the group at £5m.

a boxing source said: “This is literally a billion dollar picture.

“When you look at those stars and their value, and at Mr. Alalshikh, it blows your mind.

“He has the influence and the wallet. Saudi wants to overtake Vegas as the fighting capital of the world and Alalshikh is a big part of that.”

The photocall took place ahead of Joshua’s heavyweight bout with former mixed martial arts star Ngannou tomorrow night.

WBC champion Fury – who will fight IBF holder Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on May 18 – is there to support his brother Roman, who is fighting on the undercard.

He posted online: “I want the winner after I bust the rabbit.”

Alalshikh also teased an upcoming project featuring Ronaldo, the highest-paid footballer in the world history after moving to Saudi club Al-Nassr in 2022.

The Portuguese megastar has a salary of £173 million, plus multiple deals with sponsors including Armani and Tag Heuer.

AJ – who has said he wants to be a billionaire – rakes in around £10million per fight, and the bankable star enjoys a string of commercial partnerships.

This is literally a billion dollar picture

Boxing source

Fury’s earnings skyrocketed when he defeated then-world champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.

The Gypsy King now has huge purses available for any fight, with claims he will fork over around £100 million for the Usyk showdown.

Cameroon-born Ngannou was reportedly paid around £500,000 for his last UFC heavyweight fight, but his earnings have soared since switching to boxing.

He defeated Fury in their fight last October before losing on points.

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GEORGINA RODRIGUEZ has dropped a huge hint that Cristiano Ronaldo could retire within a year.

CR7’s longtime girlfriend stunned at Paris Fashion Week in an outfit that paid tribute to the Real Madrid and Manchester United legend.

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During the event, Georgina appeared to confirm that Ronaldo will soon be hanging up his boots.

She said: “Cristiano one more year and then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

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