Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved the milestone of 1 billion social media followers

Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved the milestone of 1 billion social media followers

Cristiano Ronaldo has amassed a total of 1 billion followers across his various social media accounts, making him the first person ever to achieve this incredible milestone. The number is calculated by adding up his followers from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Chinese platforms like Weibo and Kuaishou.

It’s worth noting, though, that the figure doesn’t represent a billion individual followers, as many people follow him on multiple platforms, and some accounts may be fake, commonly known as bots.

Nonetheless, social media expert Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight described this as a “remarkable number” that will draw significant attention from media outlets and brands. “What an achievement! It further highlights the fundamental shift happening in media,” he told the BBC, explaining that Ronaldo has shown “the ability to reach younger audiences thanks to technology.”

On the field, Ronaldo is known for his rivalry with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. But off the field, there’s no competition when it comes to social media—Messi has “only” 623 million followers.

It’s not just in sports where Ronaldo shines; he also outperforms some of the biggest names in entertainment, including singers Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez. Even those whose fame primarily stems from online platforms can’t compete—MrBeast, the world’s top YouTuber, has a total of 543 million followers.

The push to surpass 1 billion followers came partly from Ronaldo’s recent decision to join YouTube last month, where his channel quickly grew to 50 million subscribers within a week. By comparison, Messi’s channel has just 3.5 million subscribers, despite posting videos since 2011. The difference comes down to the golden rule of YouTube: content is king.

Messi’s channel has only uploaded one video in the last three years, a flashy 30-second football promo. His other videos are similarly brief, and longer clips are often montages or feature him speaking in his native Spanish.

On the other hand, Ronaldo’s channel, so far, features conversations between him and his wife, Georgina Rodríguez, and his former Manchester United teammate, Rio Ferdinand. The content is tailored for an English-speaking audience—Ronaldo’s videos, even those in Spanish or Portuguese, are often dubbed into English. Coupled with nearly daily uploads and vibrant, eye-catching thumbnails, it’s clear that Ronaldo (or more likely, his social media team) knows exactly how to make a video go viral on the platform.

He announced the milestone in a post shared across his various social media platforms.

Throughout his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has been all about breaking records. His achievements include becoming the top scorer in Champions League history, scoring the most goals in European Championship history, and playing in more international matches than anyone else. Last week, he became the first footballer to score 900 goals in his career.

As with his football career, there’s still room for him to grow his social media presence, as he’s not yet active on TikTok or Threads, unlike some of his competitors. And all of this will likely contribute to one more area where he dominates: earnings.

According to Forbes, Ronaldo’s total earnings now stand at $260 million, making him the highest-paid athlete in the world.