Cristiano Ronaldo is a global superstar, and everything he does, on and off the field, has implications. The act of the Portugal captain asking people to drink water and avoid Coca-Cola immediately at the start of his team's press conference ahead of their Euro 2020 encounter against Hungary was certain to have consequences.
It has been reported that Coca-Cola’s share price dropped from $56.10 to $55.22, taking a 1.6% dip right after Ronaldo's gesture. This saw the market value of the brand going down from $242bn to $238bn (a drop of $4bn).
Coca-Cola also issued a statement in response to Ronaldo's actions.The company said, “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” as people have different “tastes and needs”.
“Players are served water, along with Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, when they arrive at our press conferences,” a representative for the Euro 2020 event said.
For many, Ronaldo is the greatest player in history and the GOAT. With over 300 million Instagram followers, he has a large social media following.