Cristiano Ronaldo slams Euro 2020 sponsors as he speaks about Portugal and Juventus future

In the past month, much has been said about athletes and their media obligations during competitions. On Monday, football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo started another debate after he pointedly removed two bottles of Coca-Cola from his press conference table ahead of his team's first match for Euro 2020.

The beverage brand is one of the sponsors of the European Championship, and strategically placed bottles of the soft drink have been seen in numerous press briefings over the past few days. This is hardly a new practice across all sports, but the Portugal and Juventus star did not hesitate to show his displeasure.

He immediately removed the bottles away from view and even held up a bottle of water as if to say that it is a better choice. According to Marca, Ronaldo has previously spoken up about his aversion towards soft drinks.

"I'm tough with my son. Sometimes he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta, he eats crisps and he knows I don't like it," he said.

However, UEFA has agreements with sponsors and it remains to be seen if they will take action against the player for deliberately slamming the beverage in front of media.

For his part, Ronaldo is more interested in the competition itself instead of the nuances of sponsorships. He was there to talk about the Euros but it was inevitable to be asked about his club future as well. There have been numerous reports about his potential exit from Juventus this summer, and one of the journalists brought up the topic.

Ronaldo did not confirm nor deny anything, but merely said that the rumours do not affect him. "Whatever happens, it will be for the best. Regardless of whether I stay [at Juventus] or leave, that's not the most important thing at the moment."

He then steered the conversation back to Portugal's European Championship title defence. "I'm focused on my national team, because you don't play a competition of this magnitude every day. It's my fifth European Championship, but in my mind it's as if it's my first," he said.

France are the favourites to win this year's competition, but Portugal defeated Les Bleus in 2016 to lift the trophy. Ronaldo says they have a younger squad this time around, and he has personally evolved since they won the title. He can't say if they are better or worse, but Portugal is surely a team that can not be ruled out so easily.