The rivalry between Coke and Pepsi has been raging for years, each company claiming its own army of celebrity endorsers, sports stars often making up the majority. So what happens when one of these stars drinks from the forbidden cup, like Ronaldhino did at a recent press conference?

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, more commonly referred to as Ronaldhino, is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year who was at one time amongst the top players in the world, making him the perfect match for an endorsement deal. Recognising this, Coca Cola soon snatched him up and signed an agreement which runs through to 2014 and earns the footballer a cool $750 000. That’s a lot of cash just for drinking some Coke. The burden, it seems, was too much for the star, who was recently spotted doing the unthinkable at a press conference – drinking Pepsi.

The conference was held for him to promote his new team, Atletico Mineiro, who are partly sponsored by Pepsi.

Ronaldinho stunned Coke chiefs by turning up at a press conference and sipping nonchalantly from a can of their arch-rivals’ fizzy pop. Furious bosses at the Atlanta-based firm immediately demanded that the plug be pulled on his huge endorsement deal, according to a report in the ‘O Estado de Sao Paulo’ newspaper.

If only he could’ve resisted the temptation of the sweet nectar, but alas the calling was too strong.

This is only the latest in a string of upsets which have led to his name being associated with negative press more often than not.

“The fact that the player has appeared with a can of Pepsi was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Coca-Cola marketing chief Marcelo Pontes told the newspaper. “The sponsorship had become embarrassing.”

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

[Source: Yahoo Sport, AJC, Tracking Blog]