Protesters waving black flags gathered at the site after the statue was unveiled this week in the Indian city of Calangute.
Portugal did not grant independence to the region until 1961, while most of the Indian regions became independent by the year 1947, after the invasion of the Indian army and a two-day war that ended the military dictatorship.
Former international player Micky Fernandes, whose roots go back to the state of Goa, described the decision as “hurtful”, expressing his regret at the “remnants” of the Portuguese yoke.
“Ronaldo is the best player in the world, but we have to have a statue of the player from Goa,” he told AFP.
Michael Lobo, a regional minister and a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, justified the choice by pushing the younger generation to excel, not only in India but internationally.
He said: “All young men and women who want to play football are inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo. If you chase your dreams with passion, you can realize this goal. This is what we wrote on the board.”
Traces of the Portuguese era are still evident in the area, in terms of architecture, the large number of churches and the fact that many residents bear names of Lusitan origin.
Unlike other Indian regions, the population prefers football to cricket and supports Portugal in international competitions such as the World Cup.
Fernandes explained: “I also follow Portugal, but we cannot raise the statue of a foreign player while we have our (local) players.”
It is not the first time that a statue of Ronaldo, aged 36, has sparked controversy. In 2017, a bust of a player revealed at Madeira airport was ridiculed as he did not resemble the current Manchester United star and the former Spanish Real Madrid.
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