Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy. Pedro Fiuza / Alamy.
Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
Rachel Lang
Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo is used to smashing records across football, and his social media presence is no exception.
The football icon has become the first person to reach 500 million followers on Instagram in a mammoth feat.
That means that more than 10 per cent of the world's population (or around one in every 16 people) now follow the Portuguese footballer.
Mind blowing, when you really think about it.
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The next most-followed Instagram accounts belong to footballer Lionel Messi, trailing at a paltry 376 million and Kylie Jenner at 372 million.
The record breaking follower count comes after the Manchester United star ripped into his own club, telling Piers Morgan on TalkTV that he believes the club has 'betrayed' him.
In the stunning interview with the legendary forward did not hold back when describing how he feels amongst his teammates.
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"Yes, I feel betrayed. And I felt that some people, they don't want me here," Ronaldo told Morgan.
"Not only this year, but last year too."
Despite his disparaging comments against his own team, Ronaldo's followers continued to swell before finally hitting the 500 million mark.
A post spruiking designer label Louis Vuitton alongside fellow football star Lionel Messi came just before he hit the big 500.
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It very well may have been what tipped Ronaldo's follower count over the edge.
The footballers have shared the snap on both their Instagram pages, with the caption reading: "Victory is a State of Mind. A long tradition of crafting trunks photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton."
The image, which shows both players deep in thought as they plot their next move, appears to be symbolic of their incredible careers, which has seen them rack up over 1600 goals at professional level.
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Both will look to add to those score tallies at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Portuguese star gained more than one million followers in just 24 hours after the picture was posted.
So, it looks like it isn't just Kim Kardashian who can break the internet these days.
The image, which features the two sports stars playing chess, reached more than 35 million likes.
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On average, Ronaldo’s photos usually earn him an average of 10 million likes per post.
The photograph, taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, has since become the second-most-liked post on Instagram.
The only post that beats it is a photo of an egg with a whopping 55.9 million likes.
And that one is still on the rise.