Ronaldo statue in India divides opinion as local officials forced to defend it

Local officials in the Indian state of Goa have defended the installation of a Cristiano Ronaldo statue after it was met with a backlash over colonialism.

The statue was put up in what those in charge claim was an attempt to inspire local youngsters to take football to the next level in the area, but the use of a Portuguese star hit a nerve with some.

Goa was under the rule of the Portuguese empire for hundreds of years, only being annexed by India in the 20th century, and much of the criticism has come from those who see Ronaldo's nationality as a reminder of the colonial past.

However, those defending the decision have pointed to the multiple Ballon d'Or winner 's worldwide profile rather than his nationality.

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"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," Goa minister Michael Lobo told ANI, though other statues of the footballer have previously been unveiled elsewhere.

"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.

"There are some people who have opposed the installation of the statue and I think they are the staunch football haters.

"They don't consider football as a religion. Football is a game where everyone is equal, irrespective of caste, colour, religion, etc."

Some fans on Twitter suggested the region could have installed a statue of an Indian player rather than one from Portugal, with several accusing the move of reflecting a "colonial mindset" or "colonial hangover".

"Suni Chhetri is also inspiring Youth & he takes football to the next level in India," one wrote, making reference to India's all-time top scorer.

"We should be supporting Indian football so that maybe in our lifetime, they can represent the country in the World Cup, if that happens," wrote another, while one said "I am not against Ronaldo but statue of a Portuguese player in the capital of Goa is preposterous"

India have never played at a men's or women's World Cup, with the men's team failing to even reach the final qualifying round for the 2022 tournament after winning only one of their eight games to finish behind Qatar and Oman in their group.

It wasn't just fans on Twitter expressing their opposition to the statue, which was installed in the town of Calangute.

"There are so many great footballers from Calangute like Bruno Coutinho and Yolanda D'Souza, who have brought laurels to India by playing football at the international level," said Calangute constituency forum president Premanand Divkar, as reported by Goal.

"Why couldn't their statues be installed? They are from Calangute. Why [has] the Portuguese footballer's statue been installed?"

Goa was captured by the Portuguese in the 16th century, remaining part of the European country's empire until the 1960s when it was annexed by India a few years after independence.