Cristiano Ronaldo's statue installed in Goa to motivate more youth to take up football

A statue of the famous Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled in Panaji, Goa on December 28, to motivate the youngsters and to push the sport to the next step in the state and country. While launching Ronaldo's statue in the inaugural event, Goa’s minister Michael Lobo said, “This is for the first time that the statue of Cristiano Ronaldo has come up in India. This is nothing but to inspire our youth,” ANI reported. The statue weighs roughly 410 kilogrammes.  

Minister Lobo said in an interview with ANI, “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.” He went on to say that it is the responsibility of the government, municipality, as well as panchayat to provide adequate infrastructure, decent football ground and good futsal fields. He repeatedly highlighted the need for good infrastructure.  

Goa minister talks about the upliftment of football in India

Lobo further added that good coaches, as well as trainers, are needed who can train the boys and girls well. He suggested that former players who represented Goa in the national and international platforms should be appointed as trainers by the government. Only in this manner, the nation can progress in the realm of sports, he believes. He even highlighted that India is far behind many nations in terms of football even being a large country.  

The minister even took Twitter to express his words and wrote, “It was an honour to inaugurate the beautification of open space, landscaping, garden with foundation & walkway.” 

The minister added that certain individuals have opposed the statue's placement and that they are those who do not want to see the country progress in sports. Referring to them as football haters, he said, “They don't consider football as a religion.” He also noted that football is a game in which everyone is treated equally, regardless of caste, colour, religion, or other factors. The protesters are still protesting with black flags, he said.  

In addition to this, the statue cost roughly 12 lakhs and had been in the works for three years before being postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

(Image: Twitter/ @ANI)