Callum Wilson receives huge Instagram following surge during World Cup, it's second most for an England player

Callum Wilson has surprisingly seen the second-biggest rise in followers on Instagram for any England player since the start of the World Cup in Qatar.

The Newcastle striker has been in dazzling form for his Premier League club this season and punched his ticket into Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad.

Wilson, who has scored six times in 11 Premier League appearances this season, has featured sporadically at the World Cup under Southgate.

The 30-year-old England striker came off the bench and registered an assist in the Three Lions’ 6-2 demolition of Iran in their Group B opener at the World Cup.

Wilson also made a cameo appearance against Wales, but he was left on the bench for the 0-0 draw against the USA and 3-0 win over Senegal in the last 16.

Despite his limited playing time in an England shirt, the Newcastle star has seen his following on Instagram skyrocket since the start of the World Cup.

According to BonusCodeBets, Wilson has seen a 27.1 per cent rise in Instagram following on the Meta-owned social media platform.

The former Bournemouth player had 729,000 Instagram followers before the tournament in Qatar, but it has now reached 1m at the time of writing.

Wilson’s increase in Instagram followers is only bettered by England teammate Jude Bellingham, who has had an impressive campaign at the World Cup.

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Bellingham, 19, has become an integral part of Gareth Southgate’s plans at the World Cup and has started all four of England’s matches thus far.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who is heavily linked with Liverpool, has seen a 33.3 per cent surge in following on Instagram during the World Cup.

Bellingham’s Instagram following has increased by 1.5m, taking him from 3m to 4.5m on the social media platform.

Manchester City star Phil Foden and Leicester City midfielder James Maddison have seen a 500,000 and 100,000 increase on Instagram respectively.

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Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the most followed person on Instagram, has climbed from 499,952,042 followers to 509,829,733 during the World Cup.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s 2.3 per cent increase in followers puts him ahead of Argentine superstar Messi.

Messi, who is the second most followed person on Instagram, has had a 1.9 increase in following and seen his numbers move from 376,578,052 to 385,337,152.