Andriy Yarmolenko became the latest Euro 2020 star to join in the Coca-Cola/Heineken furore after his man-of-the-match display for Ukraine.
The West Ham forward scored the first goal in a 2-1 victory over tournament minnows North Macedonia in Bucharest on Thursday.
It was Ukraine’s first win at the European Championship since 2012 and the three points could prove to be valuable in their bid to reach the Round of 16.
Yarmolenko was clearly in high spirits during the post-match press conference.
After completing his media duties, he spotted the opportunity to have a pop at Cristiano Ronaldo’s mini-protest against official drink sponsors Coca-Cola.
Yarmolenko pulled the bottles of Coca-Cola and Heineken towards him and according to the Sun’s Tom Barclay quipped: ‘I saw Ronaldo doing it but I want to move it here (nearer), Please contact me, Coke and Heineken, please get in touch!’
Andriy Yarmolenko became the latest Euro 2020 star to join in the Coca-Cola/Heineken furore
Ukraine forward had a pop at Ronaldo’s mini-protest during a post-match press conference
Earlier, John McGinn has hilariously made light of Ronaldo’s mini-protest against Coca-Cola by asking for the fizzy drink at a press conference, as Italy hero Manuel Locatelli becomes the latest footballer to snub the Euros official sponsor.
Locatelli copied health-obsessed Ronaldo in removing two Coca-Cola bottles from his press conference on Wednesday evening before mimicking the Portuguese star in shouting ‘Agua’ to a room full of journalists.
And while the Ronaldo’s stance against the soft drink giant continues to make waves, McGinn couldn’t help himself by making a cheeky dig at the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
‘Any Coke?’ McGinn asked with a wry smile as he took off his mask and sat down in his seat before conducting media duties.
The joke tickled a number of reporters in the room while the midfielder himself grinned from ear to ear.
John McGinn (pictured) has poked fun at Cristiano Ronaldo’s anti-fizzy drinks stance
McGinn’s joke comes the morning after Locatelli joined Ronaldo in his mini-protest against the fizzy drink brand – shortly after helping Roberto Mancini’s men reach the knockout stages of the competition.
The midfielder scored twice in Italy’s triumphant 3-0 win over Switzerland on Wednesday, making the Azzurri the first nation to progress past the group stages.
Reports that the soft drinks giant had taken a £2.8billion hit to its share value during Wall Street trading on Monday were quickly pinned on Ronaldo but were unlikely to have been caused by the forward.
Days after Ronaldo’s fizzy drink snub, Paul Pogba followed the Juventus star’s lead and removed a bottle of Heineken placed in front of him at a France press conference
Manuel Locatelli became the latest player to remove Cola-Cola from his press conference
The midfielder, who scored twice in Italy’s 3-0 win over Switzerland, copied Ronaldo’s actions
Pogba, a devout Muslim, was seen moving the beer bottle from the table directly in front of him as he undertook media obligations following France‘s opening victory over Germany on Tuesday night.
For Muslims, alcohol is ‘haram’ or forbidden, so the Manchester United star’s removal of the bottle is likely to be due to his unwillingness to endorse the competition’s sponsor.
It remains to be seen whether Heineken will respond to Pogba’s removal of their product from his post-match press conference. In response to Ronaldo’s move, Coca-Cola said that ‘everyone is entitled to their drink preferences’.
It comes after Ronaldo moved away the Coco-Cola bottles at the start of his press conference
As an official sponsor of Euro 2020 the drink was on display as Ronaldo entered the room
But his disdain was clear to see as he shouted ‘drink water’ having removed the Coke bottles
Ronaldo, one of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game, is notoriously fastidious about his diet and exercise regime.
His laser focus on fitness and well-being has has allowed him to continue playing at an elite level well into his 30s when many players retire.
The Portuguese has previously revealed that his diet consists of six mini-meals spread throughout the day, featuring plenty of fruit, vegetables, and clean protein such as fish or chicken cooked without oil.
His favourite dish is a Portuguese classic called Bacalhau à Brás that consists of layers of cod, onions, thinly sliced potatoes and black olives on top of eggs.
Days later, Paul Pogba followed Ronaldo’s lead in snubbing a competition sponsor at the Euros
The Frenchman removed a bottle of Heineken from his eyesight during a press conference
Pogba, a devout Muslim, took questions after France’s win over Germany on Tuesday night
Mostly, the sportsman drinks water – though revealed that he enjoys the occasional glass of juice with breakfast and wine with dinner.
In terms of training, Ronaldo is thought to work out for three to four hours at a time, five days a week, and swears by a mixture of cardio, weights and football drills to keep himself in top physical condition.
Eight hours of sleep per night to help keep up his ‘mental strength’ rounds out the routine of one of the fittest men on the planet.
Speaking last year, Ronaldo revealed his frustration that his young son doesn’t necessarily possess the same obsession with his fitness that he does.
‘We’ll see if my son will become a great footballer,’ Ronaldo said at the Global Soccer Awards ceremony.
UEFA have no plans to reprimand Ronaldo for his gesture against the tournament sponsors
The Portuguese captain is always notoriously obsessive about his diet and fitness regime
‘Sometimes he drinks coke and eats crisps and it irritates me, he knows that.
‘Sometimes I tell my son to take a dip in cold water to recover after a run on the treadmill and he says, “Dad, it’s so cold there”. That’s fine, he is only 10 years old.’
Following their snubs of official sponsors, UEFA have no plans to reprimand Ronaldo or Pogba.
