First Cristiano Ronaldo, now Diego Maradona! Argentina legend suffers similar statue fail

A bronze statue depicting Argentina icon Diego Maradona was unveiled in India... but bears a questionable resemblance of the 1986 World Cup-winning captain.

The 12-foot-high sculpture was erected in honour of the legendary Argentina number 10, showing him proudly clutching the World Cup trophy that he almost single-handedly won his for country 21 years ago in Mexico.

However, football fans were quick to mock the design on social media, with one saying it looked more like former England manager Roy Hodgson, who now manages Premier League club Crystal Palace.

"I am not god of football but a simple footballer," said Maradona after the unveiling. "It’s amazing to have my statue here."​

Maradona was in Kolkata for a charity event, nine years after making his first appearance in the capital of India’s West Bengal state and three months after he was due to visit again.

The Argentine enjoyed a wonderful career, especially after he guided his country to their 1986 World Cup success with a series of stunning individual performances.

Maradona is not the only football star to have suffered an unfortunate fate with a statue: Cristiano Ronaldo unveiled two busts of himself, one of which social media users said looked more like the character Sloth from the film 'The Goonies', while others said the statue looked like something from a horror movie.

The bronze effigy was so heavily ridiculed that the sculptor was forced to replace it with an improved update.