The sculptor of that infamous Cristiano Ronaldo bust tried again

The sculptor’s name is Emanuel Santos, and when he made the Cristiano Ronaldo bust that became the brunt of every internet soccer joke for at least 48 hours last May, he was initially excited; initially proud; initially fulfilled.

Then came the jokes. And the criticism. The mocking.

Almost a year later, in an interview with Bleacher Report, Santos fought back tears as his mind drifted back to the aftermath. His wife tried to fight back tears as well, but failed.

“In the silence of night, all of that information was going through my mind, and managing all of that was very hard,” he told Bleacher Report. “I isolated myself. I didn’t feel like speaking to anyone.”

Almost a year later, though, Santos also did something else. He tried again.

And he came up with this:

Is it perfect? No. Is it better? Probably. We’ll let you be the judge.

Santos, for his part, told Bleacher Report: “I like it. It’s very good. Oh man, it’s very good! Looks like him … In my opinion.” But, remember, he also defended the original bust.

Whatever others’ opinions are, kudos to Santos for learning from the criticism, getting through what was likely a very tough period in his life, and surely coming out on the other side of it a better, stronger man.

Here’s the full Bleacher Report feature on Santos. And here’s the video version of it:

– – – – – – –

Henry Bushnell covers global soccer, and occasionally other ball games, for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.

More from Yahoo Sports:
• NFL staring down another Kaepernick-like problem with Reid
• Rusty Staub, beloved Mets star, dies at 73
• Ronda Rousey explains what drew her to WWE
• Young Tiger was warned about Michael Jordan