Cristiano Ronaldo: what the Portugal captain said about Coca Cola at Euros - and why share prices have dropped

Famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to snub soft drink during a Euros press conference, sparking a drop in market share value.

This is everything you need to know.

What did Cristiano Ronaldo do?

During his Euro 2020 press conference, Ronald removed two bottles of Coca-Cola from his table.

He moved the bottles out of shot, and replaced them with his own bottle of water and said “Agua!”, which is Portugese for water, appearing to encourage people to drink that instead of the carbonated drink.

The Portugal captain is known as a health fanatic, and seemed to make his feelings clear in regards to Coca-Cola, one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020.

A Euros spokesperson said: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero sugar, on arrival at our press conferences.”

Earlier in his footballing career, Ronaldo appeared in a Coca-Cola advert. In 2016, he was involved in the brand’s advertising campaign, which has prompted some to brand the player a “hypocrite”.

One Twitter user wrote: “@Cristiano you were happy to take Coca Cola money when you were advertising for them. Another rich hypocrite.”

Another Tweeted pictures of Ronaldo from the 2016 campaign, and wrote: “So Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t like Coke huh? Well this is awkward… Guess the pay check stopped coming!”

However, others came to Ronald’s defence.

“To be fair bro this is a pic obviously from way back in 2006 or some s**t. What he did was still correct,” one person wrote in response to the pictures of Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola advert.

Another Tweeted: “Someone obviously can’t change their mind on a drink in 15 years, that’s far too little time!”

How did the gesture impact Coca-Cola?

Following the move from Ronald, Coca-Cola experienced a 1.6 per cent dop in share prices, from $56.10 to $55.22, almost immediately.

The market share value of the drink went from $242bn to $238bn, which is a drop of $4bn.

The company responded to the statement from Ronaldo, saying that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” with “different tastes and needs”.

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Have other players made similar gestures?

The day after Ronaldo moved his Coca-Cola bottles, France midfielder Paul Pogba made a similar gesture during his news conference.

Pogba removed a bottle of Heineken beer, another one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020.

When Pogba sat down to speak to the press after being named man of the match in France’s 1-0 Group F win over Germany, he removed the beer as he is a practicing Muslim.

What records does Ronaldo hold?

Ronaldo holds a number of world records, and during Euro 2020 could stand to break a load more.

The current records Ronald holds includes:

- Most finals appearances, at 22. His closest rival for the records is former Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who made 18 appearances

- Most goals including qualifying, at 42. UEFA says “his haul of 42 goals in EURO qualifying and finals is almost as many as the next two players combined: Zlatan Ibrahimović (25) and Robbie Keane (23)”.

- Most Euro final tournaments scored in, at five. He remains the only player to score three or more in multiple Euros, making it five with his double against Hungary

Records Ronaldo could break during Euro 2020 includes:

- Most finals goals

- Most finals campaigns

- Most Euro final tournaments

- Most appearances, including qualifying

- Most goals in a single finals game

- Oldest scorer in a final

At Euro 2020, at age 36, Ronald is bidding to become the first player to feature in five European Championships.

When Euro 2024 comes around, Ronaldo will be 39, and if he makes an appearance he could be up for the following records:

- Oldest Euro scorer, currently held by Ivica Vastic of Austria, at 38 years old

- Oldest outfield player to feature at Euro, currently held by Lothar Matthäus of Germany, at 39 years old

- Oldest player to feature in Euro final, currently held by Jens Lehmann of Germany, at 38 years old

- Oldest player to win Euro, currently held by Arnold Mühren of the Netherlands, at 37 years old