Footballer gets an airport named after him: Cristiano Ronaldo Airport

LONDON — Pilots reckon it to be one of the world’s most difficult airports to land at.

So it is apt that Madeira Airport has been renamed after the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who is widely considered one of the most difficult forwards to play against.

With a statue, wax work, underwear range, fragrance, movie and museum already paying homage to the 31-year-old, you probably thought we had reached the peak for Ronaldo.

How wrong you were, because this summer the footballer, who was born on Madeira island, has taken a surprise segue into the world of travel with the opening of a new hotel in his hometown of Funchal.

Adorned with caricatures of the striker, replica football shirts and faux grass carpet, Pestana CR7 has been described as “one of the world’s most egotistical hotels”.

However, that ego is likely to get even larger with the unveiling of Cristiano Ronaldo Airport.

Formerly known as Madeira International, the decision to name it after the Real Madrid star was announced by Miguel Albuquerque, president of the regional government of Madeira, after Ronaldo visited the archipelago to open his first (yes, there are more in the pipeline) branded hotel.

The news was greeted with a simple “thanks” by Ronaldo, which he tweeted from a private jet. He is not the first footballer to have an airport named after him.

In 2006, Belfast Airport was renamed after George Best, the late Northern Ireland winger.

Beatles member John Lennon, Mother Teresa and actor John Wayne also have airports named after them in Liverpool, Tirana (in Albania) and California respectively.

While some passengers will rejoice in hearing pilots announce “we have now arrived at Cristiano Ronaldo Airport”, for others, including fans of other teams, it will be a sore reminder of the forward’s ability to carve through their team’s defence.

For nervous flyers, hearing Ronaldo’s name will simply come as a relief: The airport is often rated one of the world’s most dangerous places to land, with fierce crosswinds causing planes to swerve across the runway like one of Ronaldo’s trademark free kicks. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH