Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first athlete to hit 200 million followers across his social media pages, according to latest figures.
Hookit.com, a social media tracking database, revealed the 31-year-old passed the threshold on Tuesday. He currently has 109.7 million followers on Facebook, 49.6 million on Instagram and 40.7 million on Twitter, and that figure grows by around 135,000 new followers a day.
While Barcelona star Leo Messi may have a couple more Ballon d’Or trophies compared to Real’s all time leading goalscorer, the Argentine is some way off competing on the social media pages front. Messi has just 120 million followers on Facebook and Instagram. The numbers would most likely be closer between the pair but the Barcelona forward doesn’t have a Twitter account.
Ronaldo’s social media page figures reveal that he is a sporting icon with global appeal. Many footballers struggle to break into the market in the USA because football isn’t as widely followed and competes with sports such as basketball, baseball and American Football.
However, Hookit.com revealed Ronaldo’s 200 million followers is more than the combined total of basketball stars LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Together, the have 187 million followers on their social media pages.
