A video clip of Cristiano Ronaldo went viral as the footballer opted not to speak while bottles of Coca-Cola were in front of him during a press conference, instead opting for water.
Now, advertisements for another sugary drink – Pepsi – have resurfaced, which feature Ronaldo.
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Why is Ronaldo making headlines?
During the Euro 2020 tournament, Ronaldo made headlines after he opted for water rather than Coca-Cola at his press conference.
Coca-Cola are reportedly a sponsorship partner with Euro 2020, which is why fans were so shocked as the footballer blatantly ignored the product placement and replaced the sugary drinks with a bottle of water.
However, some eagle-eyed fans remembered Ronaldo has previously featured in commercials and advertisements for Coca-Cola’s rival, Pepsi.
Since those Pepsi advertisements have resurfaced, some fans think the world-class footballer may be a tad hypocritical.
However, Pepsi has yet to comment on the whole water-instead-of-Coca-Cola fiasco, meaning the company hasn’t capitalised on it as far as the public are concerned – yet!
Why did Ronaldo’s Pepsi advert receive backlash?
In 2013, Pepsi apologised to Ronaldo following a viral advert featuring a voodoo doll of the footballer.
Pepsi’s Swedish branch posted a number of bizarre ad images, picturing a Ronaldo voodoo doll strapped to train tracks and having its head crushed by a Pepsi can.
Immediately, the campaign received a ton of backlash. A Portuguese Facebook group entitled “I will never drink Pepsi again” quickly earned 130,000 members in just one day following the ads.
Pepsi then pulled the ads, stating: “We would never want to put the sport or the spirit of competition in a negative light. We regret if people were offended by the posts; they were immediately taken down. We would like to extend our apologies to all concerned.”
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Ronaldo also appeared in a Pepsi ad in the early 2000s alongside England star David Beckham.
Other Pepsi commercials that didn’t go down well
Fizzy drinks giant Pepsi seems to have a record of advertisements that didn’t go quite as planned. Let’s take a look:
Kendall Jenner
Perhaps most notable, Kendall Jenner had to apologise after appearing in a controversial advert for Pepsi that some viewers thought could be a way to ‘undermine’ the BLM movement.
Talking to Kim Kardashian following the commercial, Jenner said: “I feel really bad that anyone was ever offended. I feel really bad that this was taken such a wrong way.”
Michael Jackson
In 1984, music legend Michael Jackson suffered horrific burns during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. His hair was accidentally set alight during the incident.
Although the incident wasn’t the fault of Pepsi as a company, the dramatic event is still worth a mention.
Ronaldo was being interviewed after yet another starring role for his nation. The Portugal captain scored two late goals in his country’s 3-0 win against Hungary.
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