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Cristiano Ronaldo, the star player for Al-Nassr, is cashing in big on Instagram, earning over £360,000 for each sponsored post despite having a considerable number of “fake” followers, reported by GOAL. As the most-followed personality on the platform with a whopping 618 million followers, a recent analysis using modash.io suggests that more than 150 million of Ronaldo's followers could be considered fake.
This revelation implies that Ronaldo makes £361,931 ($461,040) for each Instagram post, with approximately 24.3% of his total followers falling into the “fake” category. His long-time rival, Lionel Messi, follows closely on the Instagram follower chart with 497 million followers. Around 121 million of Messi's followers are classified as “fake,” earning him £274,938 ($350,226) for sponsored posts.
Other football figures in the top earners from “fake” followers include Neymar (£116,068/$147,851), David Beckham (£82,103/$104,586), and Kylian Mbappe (£59,670/$76,010).
Despite the social media buzz, both Messi and Ronaldo are currently involved in football events. Inter Miami, with Messi as part of their team, is in Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Cup and is set to face Al-Nassr on February 1. However, Ronaldo faces a race against time to recover from an injury and play a significant role in the upcoming fixture.
The revelation sheds light on the lucrative nature of social media endorsements for top football stars, even with a portion of their followers being flagged as “fake.” As they continue to dominate both on and off the pitch, the digital presence of these football icons remains a significant aspect of their overall popularity.
