(Image source from: Pepsi proves dearer for Ronaldinho)
Nothing lasts forever, not ever stardom! Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho, who has had a pretty uneventful year so far, is paddling troubled waters again.
The disgraced soccer player, besides being embroiled in an ugly dispute with club Flamengo, has had a poor on-field performance so far.
To add his woe, Coca Cola, world leading beverage company, annulled a sponsorship deal after he was caught sipping on Pepsi at a news conference.
Ronaldinho attended the press conference to talk about his upcoming game with his new club Atletico Mineiro. Two cans of Pepsi were placed on the table in front of him, and the 32-year-old sipped from one of them.
“Marketers at Coca-Cola were understandably upset, and they ended the company’s partnership with the former Brazil and FC Barcelona star. Ronaldinho was earning $750,000-a-year from the endorsement deal, which was scheduled to run until 2014,” stated a tabloid.
“Coca Cola recognizes the career and the value of Ronaldinho,” the beverage giant said in a statement. “However due to recent developments it has become impossible to continue the partnership.”
Ronaldinho quit the Brazilian club Flamengo in June after filing a lawsuit for unpaid wages. The club, in return, filed a counter-suit against the soccer star. The matter is due in Brazilian court. However, all the wrong buzz generated from the controversy has dome more harm than good to his reputation.
Coca-Cola had been keeping a strict eye on the player’s progress, and is believed to be fed up with his antics. The Pepsi incident acted as the final stroke.
“That was the last straw for the company but I don’t think it was the only reason,” Xinhua reports ESPM marketing manager Marcelo Pontes told Estadao. “He didn’t perform up to expectations and his name was associated more with negative than positive news.”
Ronaldinho, who has wowed fans across the globe for over a decade now seems to have lost a bit of luster with the raging controversies.
AW: Suchorita Dutta
