17th June, 2021
France and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has joined Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo in embarrassing another major sponsor of UEFA competitions.
On Tuesday, Ronaldo known for his peak levels of fitness, moved two Coca-cola bottles aside as he sat down to speak to the media ahead of Tuesday’s Group F opener against Hungary.
The 36-year-old then held up a bottle of water and said “Agua” in Portuguese, making headlines and causing the giant beverage makers to lose $4billion in stock value.
Pogba, an avowed muslim also removed a Heineken bottle in front of him at a Euro 2020 news conference later on Tuesday.
The United player moved away the beer bottle when he sat down to speak to the media after he was named man of the match in France’s 1-0 Group F win over Germany.
Heineken, one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020, was not immediately available to comment.
In a response to Ronaldo’s action, UEFA said: “Coca-Cola offers a range of drinks to suit different tastes and needs, which are available to players throughout the tournament.
This includes waters, isotonic sports drinks and juices, coffee and tea, as well as Coca-Cola.”