Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first person to break the mark of half a billion followers on Instagram | Foreign football

The counter for Ronaldo now stands at 502 million followers. That is no less than 124 million more than his eternal rival Lionel Messi, who is neatly second. They are the only two athletes in the top five, which is further staffed by TV personality Kylie Jenner, singer Selena Gomez and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Ronaldo was in the news last week after he swept the floor with Manchester United and coach Erik ten Hag in an interview. “He has no empathy,” he said of the Dutch trainer. “He says he loves me in the media, but that’s just for the stage. One hundred percent. I don’t respect him because he doesn’t respect me either.” The statements eventually paid off for a rift between the player and the club.

On social media, the 37-year-old Portuguese only saw his popularity increase due to the riot. Within a week, Instagram gained more than five million followers. “I have always shared everything with you. My life, career and thoughts,” Ronaldo reacts to the magical milestone. “You are part of my story. Together we have achieved more than I could have dreamed of. In every post, every moment, I feel your support. Thank you!”

Ronaldo is currently staying with the national team in Qatar, where Portugal will play the first group match against Ghana tomorrow. Where he will continue his career after the World Cup is still a big question mark at the moment.

of the Dutch internationals Memphis Depay the ‘king of the socials’. The FC Barcelona attacker has almost 16 million followers on Instagram. He leaves Virgil van Dijk (12.8 million followers), Frenkie de Jong (10.9 million) and Matthijs de Ligt (5.6 million) behind. Collectively, the Insta accounts of Orange players have about 59 million followers.