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On June 14, 2021, star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo hit the headlines for removing Coca-Cola bottles placed in front of him at the table. The incident happened after the UEFA Euro 2020 match held between Portugal and Hungary at Puskas Arena. Portugal dominated Hungary and clinched a 3-0 win, riding on goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Ronaldo. Guerreiro scored in the 84th minute while Cristiano notched up the next two goals for his team in the 87th and 92nd minutes. With his couple of goals, he also became the first male footballer to score 11 times in the European Championships.
Following the game, when Cristiano Ronaldo came to attend the post-match conference, he was not only seen removing coke bottles from the camera frame but also urging spectators to prefer water over soft drinks. The veteran raised a water bottle and said "Agua!" in Portuguese. With the Portuguese word, the legend advised fans to drink water.
Coca-Cola’s share price dropped after Ronaldo’s action
Following Ronaldo’s gesture, Coca-Cola's share price plummeted from USD 56.10 to USD 55.22. The company’s market valuation also got a hit as it went down from USD 242 billion to USD 238 billion. Following the incident, Coca-Cola also issued a statement which read, "Everyone is entitled to their drink preferences" with different "tastes and needs".
Ronaldo is known for his stellar level of fitness. Before this incident, he also emphasised on his discomfort with aerated drinks. In December 2020, he dropped a tweet on X (then Twitter), which read, "My son has potential, We'll see if he will become a great footballer. "Sometimes he drinks Coke and eats crisps and it irritates me." His tweet corroborated Ronaldo’s dedication for fitness and dislike towards soft drinks and junk food.
