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Football

16th Jun 2021

Pogba removes Heineken bottle at Euro press conference

Charlie Herbert

It follows Ronaldo removing bottles of Coke from his press conference earlier this week.

Paul Pogba removed a bottle of Heineken from his press conference following France’s 1-0 victory over Germany at Euro 2020.

Pogba, who is a devout Muslim, can be seen moving the bottle of lager off the table and out of view of his eyesight and the cameras as he sat down to speak to the press following his France side’s victory.

This is likely to be because alcohol is forbidden in Islam.

Pogba’s stance comes after Cristiano Ronaldo removed bottles of Coca-Cola from the table at his press conference before Portugal’s clash with Hungary. Ronaldo moved the two bottles away from him before saying in Portuguese: “Drink water.”

He placed a bottle of water where the fizzy drinks had been.

The Manchester Evening News reports that Pogba became a Muslim in 2019, describing the decision as one that made him more “peaceful inside.”

At the time he said: “It’s everything. That’s what makes me thankful for everything.

“It made me change, realise things in life. I guess, maybe, it makes me more peaceful inside.

“It was a good change in my life because I wasn’t born a Muslim, even if my mum was. I just grew up like that, respect for everyone.

“Islam is not the image that everyone sees – terrorism… What we hear in the media is really something else, it’s something beautiful.

“You get to know it. Anybody can find that he feels connected with Islam. It came because I have a lot of friends who are Muslim. We always talk.

“I was questioning myself in a lot of things, then I started doing my own research. I prayed once with my friends and I felt something different. I felt really good.”

Pogba put in a brilliant performance in France’s victory on Tuesday night, playing a key role in the goal that gave the world champions all three points.