Cristiano Ronaldo’s pre-match move sends Coca-Cola’s market valuation down by $4 billion

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Cristiano Ronaldo broke a European Championships record with his brace against Hungary on Tuesday. His first goal — a penalty — meant he has now scored 10 goals at the finals, one more than Frenchman Michel Platini. His late second, a cute finish, lifted him to 11 on the all-time table. 

The Portuguese talisman had already had a significant off-the-field contribution before that. 

In the pre-match press conference, the Juventus forward moved two Coca-Cola bottles away. A video of the incident, that has gone viral, clearly showed his distate for the soft drink. After moving the two bottles, Ronaldo was seen promoting a bottle of ‘Agua’ (water in Portuguese). The inference was that Ronaldo, a self-confessed health fanatic, was urging people to choose water over the carbonated soft drink.

His actions were reflected by a marginal fall in the beverage giant’s share price ($56.10 to $55.22). As a result, the company’s market valuation went down from $242bn to $238bn. 

The giant, an official sponsor of Euro 2020, on a statement said “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” according to their “tastes and needs”. 

That wasn’t the only time a footballer has moved a product away from the cameras before the start of a press conference. French midfielder Paul Pogba, practicing Muslim, removed a bottle of Heineken before the start of the post-match press conference after France’s 1-0 win against Germany.