Ronaldo’s one move costs Coca-Cola $4 billion

Beverage brands don’t seem to be having a very good time in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2020 championship – at least during the press conferences. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo caused quite a stir when he removed two bottles of Coca-Cola placed on the table in front of him during a pre-match press conference before Portugal’s match with Hungary.

After putting the Coke bottles away from the camera’s range, Ronaldo raised his bottle of water and said, “Agua”, encouraging all to drink water and not Coca-Cola. This brief action of his, in less than 25 seconds, has seen some strong repercussions for Coca-Cola, which saw a 1.6% drop in its share value, amounting to $4 billion – from $242 billion to $238 billion.

Meanwhile, reacting to this development, Coca-Cola, which is one of the sponsors of UEFA Euro 2020 and has a long association with various sports tournaments across the world, in a statement said that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences”. The beverage major further acknowledged the fact that different people have different “tastes and needs”.

At 36 years, Ronaldo is in no mood to slow down and is known to be very vigilant about his health, fitness and diet. His gruelling workout sessions keep him in prime health and he is seen as a fitness icon to millions of his fans across the world. Hence, his “Agua” call is expected to have an impact on his fans as well.

Meanwhile, another very talented football star, Paul Pogba, the midfielder for France, was seen removing a bottle of Heineken beer kept in front of him on the table during a press conference. He didn’t remove the Coke bottles though.