Robot-naldo! Italian festival hails Cristiano Ronaldo with giant robotic float at Viareggio Carnival (VIDEO)

Cristiano Ronaldo has had his image immotalized on more than one occasion in the past, but most of those pale in comparison to the iron giant representing the Portuguese great which was debuted at the Viareggio Carnival in Italy.

The festival, which is considered among the largest of its kind in Europe, regularly attracts visitors from the world over due to its rich history of incredibly detailed floats which comprize the centerpiece of the celebrations.

Last year's iteration saw US President Donald Trump lampooned with a massive exhibit in which he was dressed in the regalia of a Roman emperor in a subtle nod at the former reality TV host's autocratic tendencies, and this year it was the turn of Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to be the center of attention.

However, any sly digs which were aimed towards the White House were absent from the Ronaldo statue, which presented the Juventus figurehead in the type of robotic glory one might expect of an Arnold Schwarzenegger 'Terminator' movie.

The likeness of the CR7 is, in anyone's eyes, a significant improvement on the bust of Ronaldo which was installed at Madeira Airport in Portugal which was widely criticized for its loose resemblance him. It was subsequently replaced in the summer of the 2018.

There appear to be no such problems this time around as masses gathered to gaze at the giant robotic statue - complete with hydraulically-powered moving eyes and mouth. 

Perhaps ironically, the festival was formed in 1873 as a protest by locals against high taxes at the time. Ronaldo found himself in hot water with Spanish tax authorities during the tail-end of his spell with Real Madrid and subsequently accepted a fine and two-year suspended jail sentence after irregularities were found in his tax filings.