FORGET the footy – the real fizz of Euro 2020 appears to be occurring off the pitch thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The star wiped $4BILLION off Coca-Cola’s market value after his press conference stunt on Monday.
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But Russia boss Stanislav Cherchesov, 57, is not one to be moved by the former Manchester United forward’s actions.
And as he faced the media following his team’s 1-0 win over Finland in Saint Petersburg, the ex-goalkeeper actually enjoyed a bottle of the hugely-popular drink.
Cherchesov picked up one that had been placed next to his microphone, opened it and took several sips as he toasted Aleksei Miranchuk’s matchwinner.
Ronaldo – who scored two late goals in a 3-0 win against Hungary – had told the watching world to ‘Drink Water!’ as he sat down to speak to the media several days ago.
The Juventus forward removed two bottles of the fizzy drink from the desk in front of him during his pre-match press conference ahead of their opening game win.
Coca-Cola’s share price promptly dropped from $56.10 (£39.80) to $55.22 (£39.19).
At one point during the day 1.6 per cent of the company’s value had been wiped off – meaning the market value of Coca-Cola went from $242bn to $238bn – a drop of $4bn (£2.84bn).
There was a late recovery, with the price back up to $55.44 (£39.38) at closing on Monday.
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Uefa has since issued a statement in response to CR7’s actions, saying ‘everyone is entitled to their drink preferences’ and that everyone has different ‘tastes and needs’.
A spokesperson added: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences.”
Later on Tuesday, devout Muslim Paul Pogba removed a beer bottle during his press conference following France’s 1-0 win against Germany.
While Italy man-of-the-match Manuel Locatelli also moved his coke bottles after netting a double in the 3-0 win over Switzerland on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, 36, has a famously strict diet and avoids sugary foods, eating clean up to six times a day to maintain his incredible physique while he ages – although he has advertised junk food, including Coke, in the past.
While still at Real Madrid, the club doctor said he had the body of a player ten years younger and could continue playing at the top level into his 40s.
While the drinks company were trying to save face on Tuesday, Ronaldo was his typical self on the pitch against Hungary.
He expressed rage at team-mate Diogo Jota before playing a vital role in securing three points in the second half at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium.
Raphael Guerreiro gave Portugal the lead before a Ronaldo penalty and another close-range effort in injury time wrapped up an impressive 3-0 win.
The goals mean Ronaldo is now the record scorer in European Championship history with 11, two ahead of French legend Michel Platini.
He has now scored in five different European Championships, more than Poland have managed, taking his international record to 106 goals in 176 games.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
