The value of Coca Cola fell in the region of four billion dollars after Cristiano Ronaldo disparagingly removed two bottles from their place at his press conference on Monday.
The Portugal star is known to be a keen advocate of healthy living and is not a fan of fizzy drinks such as Coca Cola.
Upon arriving for his media duties ahead of Portugal’s opening Euro 2020 game against Hungary, the attacker sat down and then pushed two bottles of Coke to one side. He then pointedly raised a bottle of water.
The message was clear and, as well as going viral on social media, it has had an impact on the financial world too.
Coca Cola shares dropped from 56.10 dollars to 55.22 dollars almost immediately after Ronaldo’s gesture, meaning the company’s value fell from 242bn dollars to 238bn dollars.
If anyone was in any doubt over the power of Ronaldo’s words and actions, they won’t be now.
This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has spoken out against carbonated drinks, having previously told of how he tries to avoid his son consuming them.
“Occasionally my son drinks Coca Cola or Fanta and eats crisps and he knows I don’t like that,” Ronaldo has said in the past.
On Tuesday, he scored twice in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary – moving beyond France great Michel Platini as the record goalscorer at the European Championship finals with 11