'It looks like Donald Trump on heroin' – Fans mock new Belfast statue of Manchester United legend George Best
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'It looks like Donald Trump on heroin' – Fans mock new Belfast statue of Manchester United legend George Best

A NEW statue of George Best has attracted ridicule over its poor resemblance to the late Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend.

The life-size bronze sculpture was unveiled outside Windsor Park in Belfast yesterday by former teammates Pat Jennings and Gerry Armstrong on what would have been Best's 73rd birthday.

The 1968 European Cup and Ballon d'Or winner – who passed away in 2005 aged 59 – made over 350 appearances and scored more than 100 goals for the Red Devils, and is regarded by many as one of the finest footballers to have graced the beautiful game.

However, the new statue, created by Belfast sculptor Tony Currie from the art group Lecale Bronze, hasn't quite been received so warmly.

Hundreds of social media users reacted with astonishment to the tribute's lack of resemblance to the Belfast boy, with its likeness being compared to everyone from the current US President to Pat Jennings himself.

One tweeted: "Nice to see a statue depicting what George Best might look like if he rose from the dead to haunt your nightmares".

Another wrote: "That new George Best statue looks absolutely shocking, like a love child of Roger Moore and Skeletor, unbelievable".

A third user added: "Absolutely horrific and a disgrace for us George Best fans. It looks like a dreadlocked Donald Trump on heroin heading till Belfast Majistrates! #brutal #removalrequired".

Others compared the statue to the infamous sculptures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah unveiled in recent years.

That might be a tad harsh though, looking back on the absolute state of them:

One user wrote: "Did they use the same guy who done the Ronaldo statue?"

Another joked: "F*** me looks like a villain from a Marvel movie."

While yet another simply stated: "That's the worst statue I've ever seen."