It makes for a nice success story to make a good footballer. You need to put in years of good work and strive to become one along with the incessant desire to keep evolving your game. The same stands for keeping your social holding in modern times.
The modern day, social media crazy fan base won’t follow you on social media unless you can match your flair on the pitch with similar flair online. You need to keep giving the world more of what you do when you’re not playing and at the same time keep the balance right. You don’t whine out every feeling you have and yet you need to keep the world really on their feet with updates.
You need to be interactive and approachable online because you might not be able to afford that off the web. It gives you a special standing amongst fans if you can keep the distance but prove that you are one of them at the same time.
So, who are the kings of the cyber world right now? Who are the guys who switch through the gears as easily online as they do when on the pitch? Let’s find out, shall we?
Cristiano Ronaldo
There could be a grandstand argument about which of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rules the pitch but there’s little doubt as to who the king online is. The Portuguese forward has his critics everywhere but there seems to be little wrong with his online contingent as almost everyone seems to really love what he seems to have done with his accounts online.
On Facebook, Cristiano has a whopping 111.1 million likes on his official facebook page with his contemporaries staring at those numbers from a distance and then some. You won’t find him slacking off on the twitter numbers with a sensational 55.3 million followers latching on to every word or in this case tweet with bated breath and definite attention.
On Instagram, his record seems to be off the hook with a total of 41.8 million people giving his profile a follow. With regular updates from behind the scenes of one of football’s most followed figures, Cristiano can’t seem to go wrong when it comes to marketing himself through these accounts. The total numbers come to a whopping 208.2 million followers in total. Think of all the advertising opportunities there. No wonder brands go ga-ga over him.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has his admirers on the pitch and off it. He doesn’t seem to set a foot wrong just about anywhere he goes and wins admirers just about everywhere. That doesn’t really help his social media following though as this is the one place where he simply cannot beat Cristiano Ronaldo.
The multiple Ballon D’or winner would find serious gaps in his trophy cabinets if there were any for social media following. He would lose out to his Portuguese rival almost every single time.
With 84.5 million followers on Facebook, the Argentinean great loses tremendous ground on the followers’ race. The race on Instagram is however much closer with Lionel Messi enjoying 41.3 million followers on his Instagram account. The problem erupts the moment we move into the Twitter realm.
Lionel Messi does not have a Twitter account. Yes, you heard that right. He does not have a Twitter account. He was asked a couple of years back about an account and he agreed to open one by the end of that year but that didn’t seem to take off all that much.
The funny thing is even without the essential Twitter profile, Lionel Messi boasts 125.8 million followers on two accounts alone. Staggering numbers for anyone and definitely enough to bring him to second on this list.
Neymar Jr.
The Brazilian forward is hot property at the moment. Brands from across the world are scampering to sign him on. Often described by others around him as the third best player on the planet, Neymar Jr. definitely takes the cake after the big two have had their say at least on the social media scene.
The Brazilian forward comes in at third when it comes to Facebook followers with a total of 56.5 million likes on his official facebook page. The numbers seem to play fair with him on Twitter with 21.7 million people following his every tweet on the Twittersphere.
The one place which really pushes him into the big picture is Instagram. On the photograph heavy social media network, Neymar Jr. beats his competition hands down with 47.5 million followers which is almost 6 million more than either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Not bad for the crown prince of football, not bad at all.
The total numbers on the Neymar Jr. follower count is a staggering 125.7 million which is about a 100,000 odd shy of Lionel Messi’s total. Now before we jump the gun, let’s just remember that Messi does not have a twitter account. So, there’s still a long way to go for the Brazilian sensation on that count.
Ricardo Kaka
Yes, you read that right! Ricardo Kaka comes in at fourth on this illustrious little list. It shouldn’t come across as a shock to the savvy as most would know that he was at his peak as a player during a time when Social Media outlets had started their impressive bloom. The world was just getting hooked onto these social media platforms and from the look of things so was Kaka.
The numbers on Facebook are a respectable 32.25 million followers liking his official page on the platform. That accounts for most of his following online with his 24.6 million Twitter followers backing that number to make the numbers look reasonably strong for the Brazilian stalwart.
The problem, however, lies somewhere else. The Brazilian attacker has his numbers south of 10 million on Instagram. With a 7.6 million follower base on Instagram, Kaka ends up with a total number of 64.45 million followers across the board.
The Instagram phenomenon is a more recent affair and it seems rational that Kaka may have conquered the follower scene on Instagram had it started earlier but never mind that, it is fantastic to see the childhood sweetheart of many, still pulling strings online.
Ronaldinho Gaucho
You read it right all over again! Ronaldinho is still in the game both on the pitch and online. The evergreen Brazilian star is yet to retire and if his social media numbers are anything to go by, there’s a long way to go for him yet before he calls time on his career at least for his follower base online.
Ronaldinho enjoys a healthy following on Facebook with 33.7 million people liking his official page. The numbers look decent otherwise with 12.8 million followers on Twitter and a further 13.3 million lighting up his life on Instagram by giving his page a follow. That’s surely worth one more smile on the Brazilian attackers face if not more.
The net numbers on his social media accounts come to 59.8 million followers which isn’t bad for the much-travelled player who still remains a global name and a very entertaining follow on any of his accounts. How can you not follow a guy who can make all your troubles go away by posting a photo of himself smiling that infectious smile!
