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The competition between the biggest football clubs in Europe is heating up off the pitch in the form of social media engagement on Instagram. Achieving footballing success by winning major trophies is the primary objective for any top club, but having a global internet presence is imperative as well. Social media such as Instagram has proven to be one of the key mediums through which clubs increase their reach.
Instagram is the chief impetus for the hyper-digitization of supporters' connections to their respective clubs
The most prominent platform amongst football clubs from the top five European Leagues is Instagram. The American photo and video-sharing social networking service is an excellent tool for clubs to increase their popularity through digital fan engagement.
Alongside interacting with supporters, clubs have also taken to sharing sponsored posts, which is proving to be a lucrative revenue stream for teams with considerable global influence.
On that note, let’s take a look at the five European football clubs who gained the most followers on Instagram in 2022:
#5 Liverpool
Liverpool ended their 30 year English Premier League title drought in the peculiar 2019-20 season, which lasted for an astonishing 352-days. Unfortunately, their celebrations were hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Merseyside-based club is the second most successful team in English football, with 19 top-flight league titles, seven FA Cups and eight League Cups.
Jurgen Klopp also led Liverpool to their sixth UEFA Champions League title in the 2018-19 season. They have a total of 35.7 million followers on Instagram, and accumulate an average of 162.8K likes on their published posts.
The Reds have gained a total of 1.05 million followers in 2022. Their latest signing in the January 2022 transfer window was Columbian winger Luis Diaz, with a reported transfer fee of €45 million.
#4 Manchester United
Manchester United are arguably the most successful football club in the history of English football. The Red Devils have won a staggering number of trophies, including 20 English Premiership titles, 12 FA Cups and five League Cups. Along with their domestic achievements, the club have also added three UEFA Champions Leagues and one Europa League to their vast trophy cabinet.
The Red Side of Manchester is also the most followed English football team on Instagram with a total of 55 million followers. The average likes on their published posts come out to around 476.6K .
The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, the man with the highest number of followers on Instagram, has also given way to a sharp rise in Manchester United's follower count. The Mancunian club has attained a total of 1.39 million followers in 2022.
#3 FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona are one of the most decorated and widely followed football clubs in the world. The Blaugrana have an extremely loyal fanbase known as the Culers, and the club proudly represents its Catalan culture on their social platforms. They have won a total of 75 major accolades with 26 La Liga titles and a record 31 Copa Del Rey titles. They have also won the UEFA Champions League trophy five times.
The Spanish giants are the second most followed football club on Instagram with 105.4 million followers. The average likes on their published posts are around 702.2k.
They added the likes of Ferran Torres, Adama Traore, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and veteran Dani Alves in this year's January Transfer window. The Blaugrana has amassed 1.43 million Instagram followers in 2022.
#2 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris is known for its ritzy status worldwide, but the French capital's biggest football club hopped on the glamor train relatively late back in 2011. The fortunes of Paris Saint-Germain changed when Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) invested astronomically in the club.
After a decade and a bit of Qatari ownership, the French club sports one of the most desirable forward trios in world football. They added the seven-time Balonn d'Or winner Lionel Messi to partner the most expensive attacking pair in history: Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe.
PSG have a total Instagram follower count of 56.3 million, and the average number of likes on their published posts is 505.1k. They are the first football team to enter a sportswear partnership deal with the iconic Air Jordan brand. The Parisians gained a total of 1.85 million Instagram followers in 2022.
#1 Real Madrid
Having been awarded the best club of the 20th century by FIFA, Real Madrid is widely regarded as the greatest footballing entity in the world. Los Blancos have clinched the Spanish top-flight crown a record 34 times and are the most successful team in UEFA Champions League history. They have won the prestigious European trophy 13 times.
The Meringues maintain that same level of dominance on all social media platforms too. They have a follower count of 110.5 million, making them the most followed football club on Instagram. The average likes accumulated on the Madrid club's published posts are around 802.8K
At the beginning of the year, Real Madrid added the 12th Supercopa de Espana title to their cabinet. The Galatico signing of the season was defender David Alaba, who came on a free transfer from Bayern Munich. They added a total of 2.36 million Instagram followers to their already rmassive follower list in 2022.
