Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar are all fans of Mr Bling's £150,000 crystal portraits

All football players across the globe have been forced to remain within the confines of their homes due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With all major football leagues suspended, it will be quite some time till we see the return of competitive football. But what have footballers been doing during all this free time that they have been blessed with at what is supposed to be a crucial point in the international season? Find out what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been obsessed with in recent times. 

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Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Diego Maradona are all fans of £150,000 portraits made out of crystals

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Who is Mr Bling?

Mr Bling (real name Mauricio Benitez) is a Colombia-based artist who makes expensive and lavish Swarovski crystal portraits for people who can afford them. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi have all purchased portraits made of crystals worth around £150,000  - £200,000 from Mr Bling in the past. Cristiano Ronaldo, in particular, has picked up three portraits from the South American artist. In an interview with The Sun, Mr Bling was quoted as saying that "Ronaldo contacted me on WhatsApp and told me he wanted a family portrait made with crystals in 2018. He sent me the images he wanted me to make, and I started working on them with the changes he wanted. To be honest, I was shocked that he contacted me personally. One of his pieces was the overhead kick he scored for Real Madrid against Juventus. This work is seven-and-half feet tall, and has around 250,000 crystals on it. The other two pieces I did for him were family portraits, and I think one of those is in his mother's house."

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Cristiano Ronaldo's epic crystal portrait made by Mr Bling

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