Cristiano Ronaldo, Coca Cola’s Worst Enemy
One of the main Euro 2020 stories on Monday wasn’t on the pitch, with attention instead turning to the press room as Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to the media ahead of Portugal’s match against Hungary. It wasn’t what Ronaldo said that went viral. It was what he did.
The player removed two bottles of Coca Cola at the start of the press conference, pointing to a bottle of water and saying “water yes”. That caused a stir as Coca Cola are one of the main sponsors of the European Championship. It remains to be seen if UEFA will respond with any kind of sanction for the star.
What is clear is that the Portuguese is a major enemy of ultra-processed foods and drinks. He had already expressed his dislike for Coca Cola in a previous interview. “Occasionally my son drinks Coca Cola or Fanta and eats crisps and he knows I don’t like that,” Ronaldo said of his oldest son, Cristiano Junior.
Coca Cola now have an enemy in Ronaldo, who isn’t helping the brand at all. It was suggested at first that Ronaldo might have removed those bottles because of a sponsorship agreement with Pepsi, Coca Cola’s main rival, but it seems he actually did it purely to give nutritional advice and to urge people not to consume sugary drinks.
Pepsi haven’t yet reacted either. They haven’t capitalised on the viral images. Even so, Pepsi was trending on social media as people debated whether it or Coca Cola is better.
It seems that Ronaldo doesn’t want to drink either. The 36-year-old is in great physical shape as he arrives at Euro 2020, after another season of scoring goals at club level. He is looking after his body more and more as he aims to keep performing at the highest level. He is making new rivals, although this time they’re not on the pitch. This time it’s one of UEFA’s main sponsors.
