Cristiano Ronaldo fans gathered in Times Square on Wednesday (February 5) to unveil the Portuguese soccer player's 12-foot-tall bronze statue along with its creator, sculptor Sergio Furnari.

"I stayed up all night for this, literally, like an hour... an hour train ride to get here," said Oja Dindiyel, 17. "The GOAT! The Greatest Of All Time! The best player of all time. Best athlete! Best person of all time!"

The statue arrived in a Jeep. It stayed mobile because there was no designated place to put it down.

Furnari built it to pay tribute to the athlete's career and global influence on his 40th birthday on February 5th.

READ: Even in career twilight, Ronaldo's star undimmed at 40

He hoped to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people worldwide simultaneously shouting Cristiano Ronaldo's "Siuuu!" catchphrase.

"It was time that somebody had to do something about it, you know, some monumental thing," said Furnari. "No (U.S. President Donald) Trump statue, no (Trump's collaborator) Elon Musk. I love you both! But I'd rather work on Cristiano Ronaldo."

Furnari said he is now taking the statue on a tour around the world.

(Production: Aleksandra Michalska)