Following complaints that it was too ugly, a 10-foot monument of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has vanished from his hometown in Norway.
The 22-year-old footballing superstar’s effigy, which was carved out of a tree near Bryne and showed him in his full Norwegian match uniform, was intended to be auctioned off to generate money for a hospital in Tanzania.
But on Wednesday, a thief—possibly an enraged fan—is said to have employed a crane to remove the statue from its perch over a shop.
Following complaints that it was too ugly, a 10-foot monument of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has vanished from his hometown in Norway.
In addition, Haaland has scored a stunning 20 goals in 21 games for Norway.
Tore Sivertsen, a local businessman, spent £10,000 to construct the almost one-ton monument of Haaland, who this summer joined with Manchester City in England.
Even he acknowledged the statue’s lack of appeal.
We all have a great deal of pride in Erling. I felt commissioning a monument as a mark of respect would be appropriate,’ Mr. Sivertsen, who owns a tractor business, told The Sun.
Some people have said it is too ugly, but let’s face it, Erling is not a handsome man, he said. But the idea that someone would attempt to take it astounded him.
The wooden monument was painstakingly crafted from a 100-year-old log by wood artist Kjetil Barane over the course of a year. Just two weeks ago, it was raised into position.
Siversten said, “I recognize that it may not be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoy it. Instead of being a true portrayal of Erling Haaland, it is an artistic creation.
Erling Haaland, who was seen on August 21 playing for Manchester City in their 3-3 draw with Newcastle United, joined Manchester City for over £50 million after playing for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga for two years, scoring 67 goals.
Haaland left Germany’s Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 67 goals in two years, then moved to Manchester City for almost £50 million. Additionally, he has a stunning 20 goals in 21 games for Norway.
He is already regarded as one of the top players in the world at the age of 22, and playing for the English Premier League winners should help him become even better.
Not only has the monument of Haaland drawn criticism for being too ugly, but other football player statues have as well.
The airport in Madeira was renamed Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 in honor of the legendary Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
A bust of Ronaldo was unveiled at the time and received a lot of jeers.
The airport in Madeira was renamed Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 in honor of the legendary Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. A bust of Ronaldo was revealed at the time, and it was widely ridiculed.
The illustration of the Manchester United forward was subsequently changed when it was pointed out that it was far from a perfect resemblance.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool was also memorialized in Egypt in the shape of an odd sculpture.
The illustration was subsequently changed when it was pointed out that it was far from a perfect representation of the Manchester United forward.
The Ronaldo monument wasn’t the first to draw controversy either. Earlier, a full-body statue of the footballer had also been made fun of.
The monument, which was presented in 2014 on the same Portuguese island, caused considerable controversy because of claims that the artist was too “liberal” with the footballer’s shorts.
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian star for Liverpool, received the Cristiano Ronaldo treatment in 2018 as an odd monument was erected in his homeland.
The bizarre sculpture, which was shown during the World Youth Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, was mocked online and likened to a variety of literary figures.