Have you ever seen Cristiano Ronaldo in a Chinese commercial?
Most people outside of China have no idea this advertisement even exists — but in China, almost everyone has seen it. Many even call it “the ugliest commercial ever”.
So how did it happen?
How did one Chinese grandma manage to trick one of the greatest footballers in history into promoting her brand — without him knowing?
Back in 2003, during Ronaldo’s visit to Beijing, a clever businesswoman behind a throat lozenge brand called Golden Throat paid Ronaldo $300,000 just for a quick dinner and some photos. Ronaldo believed everything was only for internal use…
but she used all of it as official advertising across China for years.
TV commercials.
Posters.
Greenscreen footage of Ronaldo showing football skills.
All without his permission.
Ronaldo didn’t even realize he was used as the brand ambassador until two years later.
This unbelievable true story has become legendary in both the business and football world — and even resulted in a lawsuit.
If you want the full story with video footage, watch it here 👇
