With the 2014 FIFA World Cup less than a year away, Madame Tussauds New York announced that Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, affectionately known as “CR7”, will be the next personality to receive a wax figure at the famed attraction in New York (234 W. 42nd St. btw. 7th & 8th Aves.) and one at the Las Vegas attraction on Thursday, June 20. Giving fans a sneak peak at what to expect when the figures debut, Tussauds also unveiled images of Cristiano Ronaldo during his sitting for his measurements used to make his figures.
Among those cheering on the figure unveil in New York will be over 50 young students and passionate “CR7” fans from Escola Lusitania, the Portuguese School of the Portuguese Club of Long Branch.
Earlier this year, the students started the “Cristiano Ronaldo at Madame Tussauds in NY City” Facebook page to garner support to bring a wax figure of the soccer superstar to the Times Square attraction. Madame Tussauds Las Vegas will also join the New York attraction and unveil the Ronaldo figure the same day.
“What better way to countdown to the World Cup than to unveil a figure of arguably one of the best soccer players in the world – Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Janine DiGioacchino, Divisional Director, Midway USA. “He is one of the most requested figures and we know our visitors will be excited to interact with his wax figure in our Sports Zone.”
Using hundreds of photos and detailed measurements of Ronaldo, the artists at Madame Tussauds spent about four months creating his wax figures. Every aspect of the figures was meticulously constructed, right down to the placement of each individual strand of hair on the figures’ head.
On the soccer field, the Real Madrid forward and Portuguese national team captain is already a legend, becoming the first player to win all four main Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and Football Writers’ Association (FWA) awards in 2007. Ronaldo also holds numerous former and current scoring records, including records for the most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid, the first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years and the fastest Real Madrid player to reach one hundred league goals. In January 2013, he scored his 300th club goal.
