Cristiano Ronaldo unveils his Madame Tussauds wax statue at New York

Just a day before the FIFA World Cup kicks off in earnest at Qatar, Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday, shared an exclusive look of his new wax statue for the Madame Tussauds wax museum.

A huge number of fans were gathered around the famous Times Square billboards when Ronaldo's face flashed across all of them. “Hi, New York. What's up Times Square. Look up on the billboards. It's me, Cristiano Ronaldo. I have the most exciting news to share with you,” he said via video as the people below shouted their approval.

“Let's count down from 7,” he said and when it ended, a wax statue of the Portuguese icon was revealed, frozen in time, doing his trademark “Siu” celebration. “Madame Tussauds, you did an amazing job. I love it. Siuuuuuu,” he said before signing off.

Ronaldo, who is in Qatar with his national team to play the World Cup has been in the eye of the storm since his controversial interview with Pierce Morgan on Manchester United's state of affairs.

United are seeking to terminate Ronaldo's deal as well as sue him for a breach of contract further establishing that the club has been in touch with their legal counselors since Monday morning, ESPN reported.

Contract termination may raise further dispute between the club and the player, who'd want to be paid for the remaining of his contract with over 15 million pounds still left in it, despite the cuts taken following United's exit from the Champions League this season.