Weird and wacky sporting statues: Cristiano Ronaldo’s bust not the only questionable one
- From tennis star Andy Murray’s terracotta warrior to an Art Garfunkel-esque tribute to footballer Mo Salah, not all bronze homages to the world’s sporting greats are created equal
Rather than blame the underperforming players, the Egyptian billionaire linked Fulham’s demise to the statue’s removal by new owner Shahid Khan. The towering totem was transferred to the National Football Museum, in Manchester, but was back in the news recently after it was taken off display as part of “ongoing plans” to “better represent” football’s stories. In the same week, a television documentary detailing abuse allegations against the King of Pop aired in the United States and Britain.
Not all sports-related statues are as controversial, however. Some are impressive memorials, others are new and long overdue. Then there are those that look like they were sculpted by a six-year-old.
ARTHUR ASHE, RICHMOND
Winner of three tennis Grand Slam titles and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, Arthur Ashe never got to see the statue erected in his honour in Richmond, Virginia, in the US. The sporting legend contracted Aids through a blood transfusion but, before dying in 1993, he gave plans for a statue his blessing, with the proviso that it incorporate children and books, and depict him as he appeared in his final days.
Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy and a number of sightseeing attractions relate to the civil war. Ashe’s statue stands on Monument Avenue, a short walk from memorials to southern generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee – a state of affairs that has polarised opinion. Talking of polarisation, it’s a 90-minute drive north to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, better known as the White House.
