Diego Maradona unveils 12ft statue of himself holding World Cup in India... but its dodgy likeness risks ridicule

Diego Maradona was on hand to unveil a huge statue of himself holding the World Cup in India

Diego Maradona was on hand to unveil an incredible 12ft statue of himself holding the World Cup in Kolkata, India, but questions were immediately raised over whether it actually looks like him.

The former Argentina international has become something of an icon in the football-mad city after an original visit in 2008, during which thousands of fans packed into the airport to catch a glimpse of one of the game's greats.

His second public appearance has been a long-time coming having originally been scheduled for September, meaning the statue had to stay behind its blue and white curtain for months before the man himself could unveil it at a ceremony on Monday.

 Diego Maradona was on hand to unveil a huge statue of himself holding the World Cup in India

 An original photo from Argentina's World Cup win in the Atzeca Stadium over 31 years ago

But despite the extra time his delayed arrival allowed sculptors, they were still unable to produce a statue that bared much resemblance to the enigmatic young man who inspired Argentina to a World Cup victory in Mexico 31 years ago.

The chubby cheeks and double chin given to his effigy seem to bear more likeness to Maradona's more portly figure of today rather than the athletic physique he sported during his playing career.

 The footballing legend was making his second public appearance in the football-mad Kolkata

 Maradona was originally scheduled to unveil his statue in September before a series of delays

 The Argentine was on hand to make donations to charity and waved off a new ambulance

The 57-year-old, along with girlfriend Rocio Oliva, were also in Kolkata for charitable reasons and handed cheques worth 10,000 rupees (£116) to 11 cancer patients. He also waved off a new ambulance before addressing the huge crowd.

'I am not god of football but a simple footballer,' he said modestly. 'I'm happy to be here in Kolkata again. It's amazing to have my statue here.'

Maradona is also due to take on cricket icon Sourav Ganguly in an exhibition match titled 'Diego vs Dada' in nearby Barasat, although local media appears to doubt it will actually happen.

In other recent statue news, Lionel Messi saw his own likeness in Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires targeted by vandals for a second time in the space of a year. Last week, the statue was cut down and left beside its podium for local authorities to later discover.

 Lionel Messi's statue in Argentina's capital city of Buenos Aires has been targeted by vandals

Source:dailymail.co.uk