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Ronaldo's snub cost Coca-Cola $4 billion and Twitter finds it hilarious

Ronaldo's snub cost Coca-Cola $4 billion and Twitter finds it hilarious

At a pre-match conference, the Portuguese star footballer pushed aside Coca-Cola bottles, urging fans to choose water instead.
16 Jun, 2021

Five-time Ballon d'Or winning footballer Cristiano Ronaldo prioritises health over junk food — that much is clear. He also advocated the same for others — also understandable. That his sliding your product away in front of cameras can lead to a $4 billion devaluation of your company, however, was something we all learned recently.

Ronaldo noticed two bottles of Coca-Cola set before him on a table during a press conference before Portugal's game against Hungary in the ongoing UEFA European Football Championship. Coca-Cola is a sponsor of the competition and the bottles were placed for advertisement but Ronaldo wasn't having it. He moved the bottles aside and waved his water bottle at the camera, saying, "Agua!" — Portuguese for water — urging fans to choose water over soda. "Coca-Cola," he said while rolling his eyes.

Video clips of the incident have gone viral on social media.

His snub had a massive impact on the brand.

Coca-Cola's share price took a hike, falling from $56.1 to $55.22 almost immediately after Ronaldo's gesture, translating to a 1.6 per cent drop. The market valuation of the brand dropped from $242 billion to $238 billion — a $4 billion loss.

The fall was so sharp and so immediate that people likened it to the ups and downs of the Bitcoin market. Formal finance buffs have slammed the cryptocurrency for being volatile and facing drastic changes based on tweets. A tweet from Tesla founder Elon Musk led to a recent Bitcoin crash and has become a punchline on the internet.

Or perhaps Ronaldo is the one who got the last laugh.

Whether he's laughing or not, there are people who are ready to laugh with him.

They called him, the most followed person on Instagram with 299 million followers, a real influencer.

How did Coca-Cola take it? Well, this user seems to have an idea.

Or we could learn directly from Coca-Cola, who released a statement on Tuesday following the drop. The brand's communiqué said “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” with different “tastes and needs”. A spokesperson for the championship said, "Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences."

Ronaldo went on to score two goals in the game, as his team won 3-0 at the end of the 90 minutes. The Juventus striker, regarded as one of the greatest ever, set yet another record with those goals. He's now the all-time leading goal scorer in the competition with 11 goals, appearing in his record-setting fifth European Championship and surpassing Frenchman Michel Platini's record of nine goals.

Following the Ronaldo situation, Manchester United and France footballer Paul Pogba also repeated the gesture. As a practicing Muslim, he refrains from endorsing alcoholic beverages, and in line with that value, he removed a Heineken bottle placed in front of him at a press conference.

We all already know other brands are shaking wondering if they're next.

Comments

skb Jun 16, 2021 06:07pm
These are influencers and they should make a difference to make people understand Right vs. not good.
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A Jun 16, 2021 06:08pm
Respect Ronaldo. While some countries keep trying to smuggle drugs into neighbouring countries.
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Jun 16, 2021 07:53pm
Great, wonderful, penetrating and excellent move by the # one soccer player in the world in support of natural water over coke. Well done and keep it up.
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Shuga Jun 16, 2021 09:07pm
Ronaldo has done Coca Cola adverts in the past.
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Hamed Jun 16, 2021 09:19pm
Yes Ronaldo is a honourable person with a "strong backbone"!
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Ahmed ALI. Jun 16, 2021 09:54pm
Never Esstimate the power of Cristiano Ronaldo done act about Coca-Cola popular soft drinking brand company, he also gem of the football athlete on the world. throught single act 4 billons dollors flow down shares SINGLE DAY in history of coca cola enormous lost is recorded, that is power of Social-Media.
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Ali Jun 16, 2021 11:26pm
. Loved it both. Respect guys.
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NYS Jun 16, 2021 11:51pm
Ronaldo has good backbone he can do it precedent for others using addictive advertising particularly with players or stalwarts
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Anonymouseee Jun 17, 2021 12:00am
Hats off to Ronaldo and Paul Pogba for standing up for their beliefs and not caving into money traps. Well done.
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Pathanoo Jun 17, 2021 03:04am
Thank You, Ronaldo.
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Zulfiqar Jun 17, 2021 04:33am
Ronaldo is a good man. Donates millions every year for charity.
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Truth be told Jun 17, 2021 08:32am
Coca Cola is Jewish and Ronaldo has recently shown his support for the Palestinian cause.
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funnyman Jun 17, 2021 09:27am
This was so funny. the whole episode was hilarious
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Daredevil Jun 17, 2021 10:12am
As a monster of sports, they are trying to spread positivity by their gestures, by their acts. Well done champ.
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Ali asaf Jun 17, 2021 03:54pm
Yes
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Ali asaf Jun 17, 2021 03:55pm
Yes.
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SAk Jun 18, 2021 01:24pm
It’s not bad to indulge for a while.
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Arfan Khan Jun 18, 2021 05:18pm
What a GUSTY man RONALDO is he chose peoples well being rather than WEALTH.Respect all the way,I wish other greedy players do the same.Shame ON THOSE PERSONALITIES.
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Arfan Khan Jun 18, 2021 05:21pm
Well done and RESPECT to RENALDO who chose the well being of the people over WEALTH,UNLIKE some greedy personalities.SHAME on those so called sportsmen.
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