Soccer still isn't that big in the States, but here's how important it is on the WORLD stage: Cristiano Ronaldo made the value of Coca-Cola drop by $4 BILLION . . . and it only took him 20 SECONDS.
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship is happening right now, and Coke is a major sponsor. On Monday, Ronaldo sat down for a press conference, and there were two bottles of Coke on the table in front of him.
He moved them off-camera, then held up his water bottle and said, "Agua" . . . which means "water" in Portuguese. (Here's video.)
After he did that, shares of Coca-Cola just HAPPENED to drop 1.6%, from $56.17 to $55.22, reducing Coke's market value from $242 billion to $238 billion . . . a $4 billion loss.
As of yesterday morning, it was even lower . . . at just over $236 billion.
Coca-Cola said, quote, "[Everyone] is entitled to their drink preferences."
(People)