Cristiano Ronaldo removes the Coca-Cola bottles
Cristiano Ronaldo removes the Coca-Cola bottles Image Credit: Euro 2020

Cristiano Ronaldo caused a stir at Euro 2020 even before he stepped on to the field to help Portugal defeat Hungary on Tuesday night.

The Portugal captain removed two bottles of Coca-Cola kept in front of him at a Euro 2020 press conference, encouraging people to drink water instead.

The 36-year-old moved the cola bottles aside as he sat down to speak to the media before Tuesday’s Group F opener against Hungary.

He followed it by holding a bottle of water before shouting in Portuguese: “Agua!”

Coca-Cola — one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020 — posted a loss of 1.6 per cent on shares following Ronaldo’s gesture.

The drinks company’s share price dropped from $56.10 to $55.22 — meaning the market value of Coca-Cola went from $242bn to $238bn — a drop of $4 billion.

Coca-Cola released a statement on Tuesday night stating: “Everyone is entitled to their drink preferences.”