Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of “ambush marketing” after his heart rate data during Portugal’s dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Slovakia was shared on social media.
This illegal practice involves a company attempting to associate its product or services with an event that already has official sponsors. A notable example occurred during Euro 2012, when Nicklas Bendtner lifted his shirt during a goal celebration to reveal a pair of Paddy Power branded underwear.
The Dane was fined £80,000 and banned for one competitive match by international football’s governing body.
In this case, Ronaldo’s collaboration with fitness company WHOOP, which designs wearable devices that track a variety of metrics including heart rate, athletic performance and sleep score, has been highlighted.
The 39-year-old is wearing one of its devices during Euro 2024 and the company released his heart rate data from Portugal’s penalty shoot-out victory on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of ‘ambush marketing’ following the publication of his heart rate data
The 39-year-old’s heart rate was shown to be at its lowest during the shootout just before he converted his spot kick.
Nicklas Bendtner was fined £80,000 and banned for one competitive match after flashing his Paddy Power shorts during a goal celebration at Euro 2012
However, according to Ricardo Fort, former head of global sponsorships at Visa and Coca-Cola, the post was a clear example of ambush marketing and should lead to a fine for both the player and the company.
“This graphic has been circulating today,” he wrote on X. “Cristiano and WHOOP are doing misleading marketing for Euro 2024. It’s illegal and both the player and the company should be fined.”
Responding to user queries on the platform, he added: ‘The post is about a UEFA match, it uses the names of the two national teams playing, the score and a player on the pitch.
“They are implying an association with the event and that is illegal. Not having a competitor as a sponsor is not a reason to tolerate infringements.”
Fort went on to say that if the data had been collected during a home workout, in his opinion, no problems would have arisen.
WHOOP’s post showed the former Manchester United star “entering a flow state and lowering his heart rate” moments before scoring the first of Portugal’s three spot kicks in the shootout.
According to Ricardo Fort, former head of global sponsorships at Visa and Coca-Cola, the post was a clear example of ambush marketing.
WHOOP claimed Ronaldo “went into a flow state” just before taking his shot, while his heart rate accelerated when Bernardo Silva scored the game-winner.
There was no information available on Ronaldo’s missed penalty or the moment he broke down in tears during the extra-time break.
It then went up to 180 bpm when Bernardo Silva confidently executed the winning shot that sent Roberto Martinez’s team into the quarter-finals. Ronaldo was wearing the WHOOP 4.0 strap under wristbands.
“Sometimes it’s hard and complicated to score penalties,” Ronaldo told Portuguese broadcaster RTP after the match, becoming emotional again.
“I’ve scored more than 200 penalties in my career. Sometimes it’s a disaster.”
He added: ‘We showed enthusiasm that we still have to play, have fun, bring joy to the fans and that’s it, this is our life.’
Curiously, the data revealed was only partial, on a night that was particularly hectic for the veteran striker.
There was no information about what happened when he missed a penalty in extra time, when he burst into tears at half-time or when Slovenia looked certain to knock Portugal out of the competition, or when Benjamin Sesko was right in front of goal at the end of the game.
In the case of former Arsenal striker Bendtner, UEFA took incredibly harsh measures against him following his action more than a decade ago.
The striker’s participation in Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign could be at risk if an investigation is launched
A similar punishment could put Ronaldo’s participation in Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign in doubt.
WHOOP is not an official sponsor of UEFA. The governing body has not responded to Mail Sport’s question about whether it had launched an investigation into the matter.