With the World Cup set to kick off tomorrow in Qatar, Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his new wax statue for the Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York on Friday evening.

In doing so, the Portugal captain became the first ever athlete to accomplish a “Times Square Makeover”.

RONALDO PROMOTES PORTUGAL TO US MARKET

The was statue reveal is a part of destination brand Visit Portugal’s marketing initiative to promote tourism in the North American market.

The event captured the attention of a capacity crowd as Ronaldo’s face flashed on the digital billboards across Times Square.

The 37-year-old was blown away with the wax figure especially the striking details of the hair and eyes, claimed, “The face is unbelievable Imagine two Ronaldos!”.

The onlookers celebrated the event by striking the famous “Siuu” pose. The wax figure resembles Ronaldo in the iconic green and red Portugal kit with Nike Zoom Mercurial Superfly 9 Elite-Firm Ground cleats.

Black Friday and World Cup the focus

The brand promotion comes just at the right time on the eve of the World Cup and a week from Thanksgiving in the United States.

The promotion is expected to reach 500 million people worldwide in the coming Black Friday and Cyber Monday that serves as opportunities for Americans to book future trips in the southern European nation.

Visit Portugal’s President Luis Araujo later claimed, “The support for this event reflects the commitment to a growing market and the conviction that Portugal is increasingly close to the US and offers many reasons to be the travel choice for Americans.”

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most accomplished football icons of our time, or as New Yorkers say, ‘soccer,’ and we’re so excited to be teaming up with Visit Portugal to do this special Time Square reveal of his wax figure ahead of the 2022 World Cup. We’re cheering Ronaldo on as he captains the Portugal national team and is welcomed into the sports experience here in our New York attraction”, said Madame Tussauds New York Head of Marketing Tiago Mogadouro.

The Portuguese has captured the headlines for the wrong reasons recently with his controversial interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticized Manchester United’s state of affairs. Ronaldo also claimed that he felt betrayed by the club and has no respect for manager Eric Ten Hag while also criticizing the owners, the Glazers, in the explosive interview.

The United hierarchy are contemplating to terminate Ronaldo’s deal and sue him for a breach of contract. It is unexpected that the former darling and poster boy of the club will return to Manchester after the World Cup.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Alterphotos

Guide to World Cup 2022

Here are some resources to help you get the most out of the biggest event in soccer!
TV Schedule: All the info on where and when to watch every game
The Groups: We breakdown each group and all the teams
The Kits: Check out what every team will be wearing on the field this fall
Predictor: Play out every scenario with our World Cup Predictor
World Cup Bracket: Map out the entire tournament, from the groups to the final