Sports stars are influential people who have the power to make or break a brand’s reputation. They are not just famous people. The endorsements that athletes provide to brands may make or break them.
Yet when these famous people act inappropriately or make a mistake, it may harm the brand’s reputation and, in Ronaldinho’s case, cost him half a million pounds annually. The former playmaker for Barcelona, Ronaldinho, was sponsored by Coca-Cola, and rumors claim that he was receiving £500,000 year from the contract, which was due to end in 2014.
But, the Brazilian superstar made a decision at a news conference in July 2012 that would cost him a significant sum of money. During the conference, he sat next to two cans of Pepsi, one of Coca-key Cola’s rivals.
The cans were initially believed to have been put on tables at press conferences as usual, but it soon became clear that Ronaldinho had actually drank from one of the cans during the Q&A session.
The 2002 World Cup champion played for Atletico Mineiro for two years before making over 50 appearances for the squad before wrapping up his playing career with Querétaro and Fluminense of Mexico.
Together with his older brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, the Brazilian was imprisoned in Paraguay in March 2020 after entering the nation illegally to attend a charity event and book promotion. But his off-field problems would stick with him.
Ronaldinho participated in a futsal match when he was incarcerated. Both the former Barcelona forward and his brother were released from prison in Paraguay in August 2020 after agreeing to a plea deal that required them to pay penalties of $90,000 and $110,000, respectively.
When news broke that Ronaldinho had only £5 to his name and was “close to bankruptcy,” his problems only got worse. He has now changed his ways, though, and most recently took part in Gerard Pique’s “Kings League” competition.
