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Brandi Chastain's Hall of Fame plaque looks nothing like her

By Alex Butler
U.S. women's soccer star Brandi Chastain celebrates shirtless with Judy Foudy after the U.S. beat China in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. File photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI.
U.S. women's soccer star Brandi Chastain celebrates shirtless with Judy Foudy after the U.S. beat China in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. File photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI. | License Photo

May 22 (UPI) -- United States Women's National Team soccer icon Brandi Chastain was honored with a plaque at the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, but it looks nothing like her.

Chastain, 49, was inducted into the hall of fame on Monday in San Francisco, Calif. She spoke to reporters shortly after the plaque was unveiled.

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"It's not the most flattering but it's nice," Chastain said, according to the Mercury News.

The plaque's actual likeness is a raging debate on Twitter. Users of the social media platform compared the depiction to John Madden, Mickey Rooney, Babe Ruth and others. The plaque also brought back memories of several immortalizations from the past, including a 2017 depiction of Portuguese soccer sensation Cristiano Ronaldo. That bust was revealed at Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in Santa Cruz, Portugal.

Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame vice president of finance and administration Anthony Savicke told the Mercury News Monday that there were no plans to redo the plaque and that he did not hear complaints from the inductees or their associates.

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ESPN and the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday that Chastain's plaque could be redone. The Chronicle reported that a person offered to pay for the new bust, but it is unknown if the offer was accepted.

"Brandi Chastain is one of the most beautiful athletes I've ever covered," the Chronicle's Ann Killion tweeted, along with a photo of the plaque. "How this became her plaque is a freaking embarrassment for BASHOF."

The bust of Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo pictured during a naming event in 2017 at Madeira's airport in Santa Cruz, Madeira Island, Portugal. Photo by Gregorio Cunha/EPA

Tim Hardaway, Harrison Barton, Matt Cain and John McVay were also inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday in San Francisco. Chastain joined the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2017. She played for team USA from 1988 to 2004, scoring the game-winning goal in the 1999 World Cup final.

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