Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada Madeira in Portugal renamed its airport in honour of Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday.
The Atlantic island is where Ronaldo, the four-time world player, grew up, and the airport in its capital Funchal will now be known as “Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo”.
The ceremony followed Portugal playing their first match on the island for 16 years, the hosts losing 3-2 to Sweden despite an early Ronaldo goal in the friendly on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, 32, was accompanied to the airport renaming by his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and mother Maria, and heads were turned when a statue with a debatable likeness to the image-conscious Real Madrid forward was unveiled.
Not everyone on Madeira agrees with the decision to rename the airport after Ronaldo, but his national-hero status was confirmed last year when he led Portugal to victory in the European Championship.
