The Portugal captain inadvertently caused a worldwide stir for turning his nose up at the popular soft drink in front 8️⃣ of the media
Cristiano Ronaldo's disdain for Coca-Cola has been one of the major talking points of Euro 2024, but why 8️⃣ did his actions cause so much controversy?
Goal is here to tell you everything you need to know about the incident.
Ronaldo 8️⃣ has once again been one of the star attractions at the European Championship, scoring three goals in Portugal's first two 8️⃣ group matches to put them within sight of a place in the round of 16.
However, the Juventus superstar's exploits on 8️⃣ the pitch have been overshadowed by a now-infamous show of contempt towards one of the world's most popular brands in 8️⃣ front of the media.
What was the Cristiano Ronaldo - Coca-Cola incident?
Ronaldo sat down for his first pre-match press conference of 8️⃣ the tournament before Portugal's clash with Hungary, and noticed that two bottles of Coca-Cola were sitting directly in front of 8️⃣ him.
The 36-year-old promptly removed the soft drinks from the view of the cameras and replaced them with a water bottle, 8️⃣ rolling his eyes while muttering with an undertone of disgust "Coca-Cola".
Ronaldo held up his water bottle before setting it down 8️⃣ and said 'Agua' - the Portuguese term for water - in an apparent attempt to urge people to drink water 8️⃣ instead of Coca-Cola.
Did the Ronaldo - Coca-Cola incident inspire others?
Manuel Locatelli took the same stance as Ronaldo prior to Italy's 8️⃣ 3-0 victory against Switzerland in their second Group A fixture last Wednesday, smiling broadly while placing a water bottle at 8️⃣ centre stage instead of the customary two Coca-Cola bottles.
France midfielder Paul Pogba, meanwhile, appeared to take aim at another of 8️⃣ Euro 2024's main sponsors when he removed a Heineken bottle from his view at a media event.
The Manchester United ace 8️⃣ is known to be a devout Muslim and, therefore, does not drink any alcohol, but was apparently unaware that it 8️⃣ was the brewing company's 0.0 per cent version.
Other players have tried to make light of the situation, including Ukraine's Andriy 8️⃣ Yarmolenko, who made sure that both the Coca-Cola and Heineken bottles were in front of him after a win against 8️⃣ North Macedonia and jokingly asked the brands to contact him.
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku followed Yarmolenko's lead after winning the man 8️⃣ of the match award in his country's 2-1 triumph against Denmark, asking Coca-Cola to contact Roc Nation - the agency 8️⃣ that handles his image rights.
How did Coca-Cola react to Cristiano Ronaldo?
Coca-Cola's market value plummeted by £2.8 billion after Ronaldo's antics, 8️⃣ but the company has since released a statement insisting that "everyone is entitled to their drink preferences".
How have other brands 8️⃣ reacted to Ronaldo vs Coca-Cola?
Elsewhere, one of Europe's leading furniture retail companies, IKEA, has attempted to profit from the situation 8️⃣ by releasing a new reusable water bottle under the name 'Cristiano'.
Major water brands have also jumped on the bandwagon, including 8️⃣ Evian, who shared the video of Ronaldo removing the Coca-Cola bottles via Twitter with the caption: "Couldn't have said it 8️⃣ better ourselves! #stayhydrated #drinktrue #CR7".
Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) seized an opportunity for self-promotion, posting a link on social 8️⃣ media to one of their articles highlighting the potential health benefits of cutting out sugar from your diet.
