Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo removed Coca-Cola bottles placed in front of him at a European Championships press conference, which reportedly cost the global beverage giant a staggering USD 4 billion.
A well-known fitness enthusiast, Ronaldo set aside two Coca-Cola glass bottles which lay in front of him during a press conference ahead of Portugal's opening Euro match against Hungary on Monday.
In a video that has since gone viral, the 36-year-old Juventus striker picked up a bottle of water instead saying "Agua!" in Portuguese, seemingly urging people to choose water over aerated drinks.
According to media reports, the share price of Coca-Cola, one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020, slipped from USD 56.10 to USD 55.22 almost immediately after Ronaldo's gesture.
The market valuation of Coca-Cola went from USD 242 billion to USD 238 billion, a fall of USD 4 billion Reacting to the incident, Coca-Cola in a statement said "everyone is entitled to their drink preferences" with different "tastes and needs".
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Ronaldo has spoken about his uneasiness with carbonated drinks earlier as well. In December last year, he had tweeted, ""My son has potential, We'll see if he will become a great footballer.
"Sometimes he drinks Coke and eats crisps and it irritates me." Ronaldo went past France's Michel Platini to become the all-time top-scorer of the tournament as he scored a brace, leading his side to a 3-0 win over Hungary on Tuesday.
Defending champions Portugal will clash with Germany next on Saturday.
On Tuesday, France mid-fielder Paul Pogba removed a bottle of Heineken beer that had been placed in front of him at a press conference.
Pogba, a practising Muslim, removed the bottle when he sat down to speak to the media after his side's 1-0 win over Germany.
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