There are millions of sports fans around the globe. And it is quite common for fans of one or certain athletes not to want to lose track of them on social networks . And although Twitter came before, elite athletes manage much better on Instagram. And at this point, it’s time to ask the question. Who is the athlete with the most followers on Instagram?
The importance of social networks for professional athletes
The Instagram profiles of athletes are not like those of mere mortals. They are not limited to being a simple history of their lives. They are showcases where they can exploit their personal brands, attract sponsorships and, in general, comply with the agreements they sign in their millionaire contracts when they sign for a club.
The importance that Instagram profiles have today on the lives of athletes is so great that the vast majority of them do not manage their accounts , but are run by marketing and communication professionals. This does not mean that everything they publish is a lie, but that they communicate what they want to say to experts and they are the ones who shape the publications.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the athlete with the most followers
As of today, the Portuguese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo , is the athlete who leads the ranking of followers in the world of sport. The star, who is currently back at Manchester United, has 386 million followers as of today.
During 2021, “the bug” has had a great growth as far as the follower counter is concerned. After announcing in the summer that he was leaving Juventus to return to Manchester, Madeir’s man almost suddenly gained 50 million more followers. And the worst thing is that he was still the first on the list even before winning that number.
In addition, CR7 is not only the most followed athlete on Instagram. It is also the second account with the most followers of the social network itself . Who is in first place there? Well, the Instagram profile itself on Instagram, which gets about 70 million followers from the Portuguese, although surely that position does not have as much merit, since it is the typical profile that many people follow almost by inertia.
How is the Top 5 completed?
If you have been left wanting more, don’t worry, because we are going to complete the list a bit. Cristiano is closely followed by his lifelong rival, the Argentine Lionel Messi with 297 million followers on the social network. The third position is occupied by a lesser known sportsman in our continent, Virat Kohli , who is an Indian cricket star , and who captains his country’s national team. Kohli has 177 million followers on Instagram, even though you’ve probably never heard of him. The fourth position with 167 million is the Brazilian Neymar Junior , and the top 5 is closed by the Michael Jordan of our times, that is, the king , the mythical Lebron James , who has about 107 million followers.