Why did Cristiano Ronaldo shun two Coca-Cola bottles at Euro 2020?

The footballer’s casual dismissal of the brand caused the company’s share price to plummet

It's not every day that a man makes headlines – and costs a company billions – simply by moving two soda bottles to the side.

But it's certainly not surprising when that man is Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo.

On Monday, June 14, the Juventus star created quite a stir during a pre-match press conference, when he was seated with two bottles of Coca-Cola in front of him. When he spotted the bottles, he pushed them as far away from himself as possible.

He then picked up the bottle of water which he granted his seal of approval by saying "agua" (water in Portuguese), suggesting that people should be drinking that instead.

The company's share price at close of trading for the week the preceding Friday, June 11, was $56.16, valuing the company at $242.1bn. The stock settled at $55.55 at the end of trading on Monday, following Ronaldo's press conference, giving the company a market value of $239.5bn, $2.6bn less than the previous close. The stock of one of the world's largest beverage maker is down by about 1.3 per cent in the past three days but up 5 per cent year-to-date.

The company seems to be taking the incident in its stride though; it has since responded with a statement that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences”.

A Euros spokesperson has also commented that "players are offered water alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar on arrival at our press conferences".

It seemed like an innocuous move, but the casual dismissal of the soft drink giant has gone viral, with plenty weighing in online.

Even American football star Tom Brady took to Twitter to show his support.

Like Brady, many have suggested that the saccharine-loaded move should come as no surprise from Ronaldo, who is known for having a strict diet and health regimen.

According to ESPN FC, Ronaldo has up to six meals a day, with two lunches and two dinners daily. A typical snack is avocado toast, while meals comprise heavily of fish, chicken, meat and salads.

During a 2020 trip to Dubai, he spoke out about his disdain for junk food. An interview, after winning the Player of the Century title at the at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards revealed that he disliked it when his eldest son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, drank soda.

"I'm hard with him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta," Ronaldo said. "I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, I don't like it."