Portugal’s captain and leading football star of the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, caused one of the biggest sponsors of the Euro 2020 tournament a major loss worth $4 billion.
In case you’re wondering why, well, Ronaldo showed the world his disdain at the sight of fizzy drinks that had reportedly been placed in front of him during a press briefing. The conference took place before the Portuguese captain led his team to the nation’s first match against Hungary, which was scheduled to take place in Budapest.
Ronaldo angrily removed the two medium-sized bottles filled with carbonated drink placed in front of him and replaced it with a bottle of water while shouting, ‘Drink Water!’ boldly in Portuguese.
It was quite clear what type of message the leading football superstar planned on giving to his sponsors for the tournament. But little did anyone know about the mega loss that the brand would soon face for the shocking act.
According to media reports, the move resulted in a mega $4 billion loss to Coca-Cola as their share prices dropped to a massive 1.
6% low. And as you can probably expect, both UEFA and Coca-Cola were not happy after seeing the star’s gesture. While they both remained quiet immediately after the incident, soon statements did come out on behalf of Coca-Cola as the footage of the incident began going viral.
The brand mentioned in a public press statement how every person is entitled to drink according to their own choices and beliefs while trying to remain calm over their shares falling to a new low. Clearly, the brand is well aware that the damage is done and will definitely not be permanent.
But without a doubt, it was a shocking stance coming forward at one of the world’s most prestigious events and by one of the world’s biggest football stars.
Whatever the case may be, Ronaldo was applauded for making the move and for using the platform to raise awareness on healthy consumption of food and drink, which he is already renowned to be a major advocate for.