Goa places a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo, locals say Indian players should have been honoured first

The Goan government installed a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in Calangute, Goa in order to inspire the young generation towards sports and follow their dreams. The statue of the Portuguese footballer is rising questions and dividing opinions among Indians.

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Goa Minister Michael Lobo told ANI, "This is or the first time that the statue of Cristiano Ronaldo has come up in India. This is nothing but to inspire our youth. If you want to take football to another level, then this is what young boys and girls will look forward to, taking selfies and looking at the statue and getting inspired to play."

Locals have contrasting opinions on the statue:

The weight of the statue is around 410 kgs. Football is extremely famous in the Western Goa and it is the place of installing the statue. Many critics raised opinions honouring the local football players as many Goan people are the past and present members of the Indian National football team. A local Goan told the IANS news agency, "Very disappointed to hear of the statue of Ronaldo being erected. Learn to take pride in our own icons like Samir Naik and Bruno Coutinho.

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We all know that Goa is a former Portuguese colony. And due to the colonial past, many local people and their families live or lived in Portugal in the past. This is another reason why many Goans think it is insulting to install the statue on the 60th anniversary of Goa gaining freedom from the Portuguese rule. Even some people waved black flags in protest of the statue installation.

IANS quoted right-wing activist Guru Shirodkar said, "To erect a statue of a Portuguese footballer this year is sacrilegious. We condemn this. There are many freedom fighters in Goa who have been insulted."