Jakarta: A new statue of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on display in India's Goa state has sparked controversy. Local residents believe it is best to make statues of local footballers.

Michael Lobo, a minister in the Goa state government, said the statue was aimed at promoting football as a sport and inspiring young people.

“When people talk about football, they talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. So we placed this statue here so that boys and girls can be inspired from a young age, to feel inspired and their love and passion for this game is growing.” said Lobo, quoted by Aljazeera, Thursday, December 30, 2021.

For the love of football and at the request of our young people, we installed the statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in the park to encourage our young people to take football to greater heights. It was an honor to inaugurate the beautification of the open space, landscaping, garden with foundation and walkway. pic.twitter.com/VU5uvlSlMT

-Michael Lobo (@MichaelLobo76) December 28, 2021

The day after the inauguration of the 400 kilo statue, local residents unhappy with the idea demonstrated. They carried black flags to the spot where the statue stood. The demonstration was not only protesting the idea that foreign footballers are more respected than local footballers. However, because Cristiano Ronaldo's home country, Portugal, is a country that has been colonizing Goa for centuries. Portugal left Goa 60 years ago.

Lobo believed that the protest was because the protesters were unhappy with football.

Read: Ronaldo's arrival erases Juventus' DNA

Cristiano Ronaldo has not commented

Cristiano Ronaldo has not publicly commented on the Goa statue. In 2017, another controversy erupted when the attacker's statue was widely mocked and eventually replaced at the airport on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Meanwhile, cricket remains the most popular sport in India. Football is more popular in certain regions, such as Goa.

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(SYN.)