Fans take a shine to Ronaldo statue's private parts to leave star's crotch well buffed (PHOTOS)
A statue of Cristiano Ronaldo has been making the headlines again, this time after fans have taken a particularly keen interest in a very intimate part of the likeness to the footballing superstar.
The statue, located at the Juventus player's museum in Funchal, Portugal, has developed a very specific modification to one particular part of it thanks to legions of female fans grabbing its crotch during photo ops.
If David Beckham was once dubbed 'Golden Balls' by the media, we shudder to think which term will be ascribed to Cristiano Ronaldo after pictures went viral of CR7's statue with a buffed crotch, the result of more than four years of selfies from fans from across the globe.
The bronze around the statue's groin has been rubbed so often that it has been polished a lot more than the rest of the statue, apart from perhaps the hands, leaving the region significantly shinier than elsewhere on the figure.
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Of course, the generously-sized bulge in the shorts has attracted attention since the statue was unveiled in 2014 but the addition of a shine to the area has made it stand out even more.
"I just wanted a picture of him to send to my family," tourist John Rodgers said, according to The Sun.
"But as soon as I put on the family WhatsApp group everyone started laughing. They couldn't help notice the well-rubbed area between his legs.
"While waiting to get back on the cruise ship I then realised a stream of tourists who were keen to touch that area.
"It seemed to make them all smile, particularly a young blonde lady. She couldn't keep her hands off."
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Bizarrely, this isn't the first time that a statue of the five time Ballon d'Or winning footballer has made headlines.
In 2017, a bust of the Juventus man installed at Madeira Airport in Portugal attracted ridicule for the bizarre expression it displayed of the player's face. It was removed after a little over a year.
