Lisbon, Dec 24 (IANS/EFE): Three days after its inauguration, a statue of Real Madrid's Portuguese star striker Cristiano Ronaldo erected in his honour in his hometown in the Madeira Islands has generated a great deal of buzz for what looks like as a bulge in the statue's pants.

On Wednesday, several Portuguese newspapers collected dozens of comments about the bulge on the bronze, life-size statue, which was erected in his honour in the Portuguese city of Funchal near a museum dedicated to the player.

The subject has also gone viral on social media, inspiring Twitter users to launch the hash tag "#RonaldoErection" for comment.

It was also discussed on Ronaldo's official Facebook page, which published a photo of the player standing next to the statue Dec 21.

The statue weighs 800 kg with a height of 3.4 metres. Designed by artist Ricardo Madeira Veloso, it was inspired by Ronaldo's stance before taking a free kick.

Despite the controversy, Ronaldo, who distanced himself from the subject, published Tuesday photos of himself taken during his vacation with his family.

According to Portuguese media, Ronaldo has gone to Dubai to spend the Christmas holidays.