Manuel Locatelli produced a Man of the Match performance to inspire Italy to a 3-0 victory over Switzerland on Wednesday evening.The 23-year-old midfielder, who plays his club football with Sassuolo, netted a brace at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.Ciro Immobile also got himself on the scoresheet as the Italians scored three goals for the second successive Euro 2020 Group A match.Locatelli deservedly picked up the MOTM trophy after the final whistle and also sat in for the post-match press conference to give his views on the game and Italy’s tournament so far.
However, he caused a stir on social media by copying Cristiano Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt.
How much did Ronaldo's gesture cost Coca-Cola?
Ahead of Portugal’s Group F clash against Hungary earlier this week, Ronaldo went viral after moving two bottles of purposely placed Coca-Cola bottles out of sight.
The legendary forward then proceeded to pull out a bottle of water before saying “agua!” to camera.
It’s been reported that Ronaldo’s gesture has cost Coca-Cola a staggering $4 billion as their share price plummeted from $56.10 to $55.22.
UEFA responded, per The Daily Mail, by saying that everyone has ‘tastes and needs’.
'Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences,' a spokesperson added.
Locatelli copies Ronaldo's Cola-Cola stunt
But as Ronaldo’s influence is so big, it’s perhaps no surprise that other players at Euro 2020 are now following his lead.
Before taking his seat at the press conference in Roma, Locatelli placed down his bottle of water before placing two Coca-Cola bottles out of view.
He then mimicked Ronaldo by saying ‘acqua’ (Italian for ‘water’).
Watch the clip here…
Oh dear. Coca-Cola’s week goes from bad to worse.
Locatelli is currently the joint-top goalscorer at Euro 2020 (alongside Immobile, Ronaldo and Patrik Schick) and both UEFA and Coca-Cola are unlikely to be happy with his decision to copy Cristiano.
Italy have now booked their place in the knockout stages following back-to-back wins over Turkey and Switzerland.
The Azzurri end their Group A campaign with a match against Wales, who defeated Turkey on Wednesday, in Rome on Sunday.