Brechin City FC: Braveheart statue unveiled outside a football club compared to the infamous bronze Ronaldo sculpture by footie fans

A Braveheart statue unveiled outside a football club has been compared to the infamous bronze Ronaldo sculpture by footie fans - who blasted the 'awful' statue.

Brechin City FC have installed the so-called 'Freedom' sculpture - based on a likeness of Mel Gibson in 1995 flick Braveheart - at Glebe Park, Angus.

The artwork, officially called the Spirit of Wallace, was created by local man Tom Church, and previously stood at the entrance of the Wallace Monument in Stirling.

But it was put into storage in 2008 after 10 years on display at the monument - after it was targeted by vandals.

Picture taken with permission from the twitter feed of @BrechinCityFC Photo credit: @BrechinCityFC /PA Wire

Brechin City unveiled it on Sunday but social media users blasted the stone statue - comparing it to the infamous sculpture of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira airport.

One said: "The statue of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira Airport has been surpassed in its awfulness by this Braveheart statue that's been unveiled at the ground of Brechin FC."

Another person said: "This is dreadful. It looks like a cross between Mel Gibson and a sex doll with that wide open mouth."

Someone else joked: "I'm astonished that the sculptor managed to capture William Wallace's exact expression when he stood on a LEGO piece."

Sharing the picture on social media the club said: "We were delighted to host the unveiling of the Braveheart Statue yesterday afternoon at its new home at Glebe Park.

"It was brilliant to see the community of all ages turn out in numbers to support the event."

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