Top five most followed footballers on social media

Published at :June 13, 2020 at 7:46 PM

Modified at :July 1, 2020 at 3:14 AM

The virtual presence of the athletes play a key role in their careers.

In today's world, social media plays a huge role in our day-to-day lives. People spend most of their days hooked on to the net and our beloved footballers too are no exception. Almost each and every player today is on those platforms where they share snippets from their personal lives to give their fans an inside look of things. Players these days have amassed massive number of followers and the more popular the footballer is, the more are his number of admirers. Here we take a look at the most followed footballers.

5. Gareth Bale

His career has been plagued by injuries which made him miss a fair amount of matches in his career but it cannot be denied that an in-form Gareth Bale can wreak havoc on the field. The Real Madrid star joined the LaLiga club in 2013 on a world record fee of £86m.

The all-time top scorer for Wales has not been a popular figure at the Santiago Bernabeu but he has been critical in their success. The Welsh wizard is the fifth most followed footballer in the world with around 88.6* million followers across the major social media accounts. His earning for each post too is staggering, an amount of $185,000 for every sponsored post. He is also the seventh richest footballer in the world.

4. James Rodriguez

James Rodriguez has played for clubs like FC Porto, AS Monaco, FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and has won major titles for each one of them. Adept at playing in different positions across midfield and attack, the cheeky player is a force to reckon with for the defenders.

The Golden Boot winner of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Rodriguez is the fourth most followed footballer in the world, right ahead of his Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale. With a total of around 95.3* million combined followers, the Colombia international draws attention of football lovers across the globe.

3. Neymar

Neymar has won two LaLiga, three Ligue 1 and a Champions League title. He has always been the apple of the eye for big advertising brands like Nike, Panasonic, Ambev, Claro and Unilever. Forbes had voted him as the third highest-paid athlete in 2019. His fame as a footballer has also transcended to the world of entertainment. He has also appeared in films like the Return of Xander Cage and the very popular TV series Money Heist.

Making him the youngest one in the list, Neymar is the third most followed footballer with nearly 245.7* million fans over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The former Brazilian wonderkid became a star on his own right with his amazing performances for Santos FC, FC Barcelona and PSG. The man who captained his national team to the 2016 Olympic gold medal in Rio has always been a fan favourite and his following in the virtual world proves just that. Neymar earns a whopping $722,000 per post on Instagram.

2. Lionel Messi

The man who needs no introduction, Lionel Messi’s skills on the ball have catapulted him to international stardom. The Argentine who calls Barcelona his home has drawn comparisons with former legend Diego Maradona for his abilities on the field and short stature. His prolific goalscoring and clinical finishes have left the fans speechless, staring in awe at the miracle they were witnessing.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner, four of those coming consecutively, has more trophies than his cabinet can hold. Whenever he comes onto the pitch the deafening roars of the fans chanting his name shows the amount of love and adulation that they have for him. His movement on the ball and the way he feints past defenders even brings the commentators on their feet.

Messi has over 249.9* million followers, making him the second in the list of the most followed footballers in the world. He makes around $648,000 from each post, making him the second richest footballer in the world.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Now if Messi has made his way into the the list, how can his arch-rival be far behind? Cristiano Ronaldo is not just a name but a brand in modern day football. The Portuguese Euro Cup-winning footballer has etched his name in history books with his record-breaking performances. He has won 29 major trophies in his career and holds a record for the most number of goals scored in UEFA Champions League along with being Portugal’s top scorer.

His performance at the UEFA Euro Cup 2016 earned Portugal their first major international trophy. Ronaldo is the most followed football with 434.9* million followers globally. Making an astounding figure of $975,000 on Instagram just by sharing his stories really shows his influence as a sportsman among the people.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram. *Figures as of 30th June 2020.