Ronaldo bust sculptor defends work: 'Not as simple as it seems'

The sculptor tasked with creating a bust for Cristiano Ronaldo's has defended his work following an avalanche of criticism over its appearance.

After the bust was unveiled during a ceremony in Ronaldo's native Madeira, Portugal, where an international airport was named in his honour, the internet was quick to highlight the contrasting aspects of the design compared to the Portuguese star.

Emanuel Santos, however, insisted he's happy with his work and wasn't surprised by the backlash that followed.

“It is impossible to please the Greeks and Trojans," Santos said, according to the Guardian. "Neither did Jesus please everyone.

"This is a matter of taste, so it is not as simple as it seems. What matters is the impact that this work generated. There is always the possibility of making a difference, I was prepared for all this.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

"I used as a base some photos of Cristiano Ronaldo that I found on the internet, nothing specific. I put the photos next to me and started working on the bust."

Santos justified the design by claiming Ronaldo saw pictures before the unveiling and that the Real Madrid star only asked that one minor adjustment be made to the bust, which is located at the Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo.

"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," Santos said.

"He only asked for some wrinkles that give him a certain expression in his face when he’s about to laugh to be changed. He said it made him look older and asked for it to be thinned out a bit to make it smoother and more jovial. But they gave it the go-ahead; they liked what they saw."