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