Legendary quarterback Tom Brady was honored by the New England Patriots with a statue in his honor during a ceremony on August 8 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The figure pays tribute to his iconic No. 12 jersey and stands 12 feet tall, while the entire base reaches 17 feet, in reference to the 17 divisional titles he won during his career.
Brady joins athletes immortalized with statues
With this work, Brady joins a select list of sportsmen who have received similar tributes, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who has his own statue in his native Funchal, Portugal. However, the seven-time Super Bowl champion took the opportunity to joke about the sculpture of the Portuguese star.
During his appearance on the podcast “Almost Athletes with Dude Perfect“, Brady called Ronaldo’s statue “the worst sculpture made of an athlete”.“That’s the worst one,” Brady said with a laugh. “Probably the person who made it is already out of business. What a scary thing for a sculptor, because it can catapult you to stardom or ruin you.”
The controversial Ronaldo statue
The 10-foot-tall statue of Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled in 2014 in Funchal’s CR7 Square, when the striker was playing for Real Madrid. Over the years, the figure went viral on social media for its unrealistic appearance, generating mockery and memes around the world.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, currently plays for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and continues to be one of the most recognisable figures in global sport.
Tom Brady’s legacy
Brady, considered the best quarterback in NFL history, played 20 seasons with the Patriots, where he won six Super Bowls. He then added a seventh title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his three years with the Florida team.
Throughout his career, Brady set multiple league records, including most passing yards (89,214) and most touchdown passes (649) than any other player in history. He officially retired in February 2023 and currently serves as a sports analyst for Fox Sports.
With his statue newly unveiled and his humor intact, Tom Brady continues to prove that, on and off the field, his legacy in American sports is more alive than ever.
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