Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi to become highest earner from Instagram sponsored posts - Reports

According to NetCredit (via Daily Star), Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo was the world’s top Instagram earner in 2021, beating arch-nemesis Lionel Messi to the punch.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the two most successful players of this generation, enjoy immense fanfare on the Meta-owned social networking platform Instagram. Ronaldo, who is the most-followed person on Instagram, has an eye-popping 489 million followers. Messi, on the other hand, is followed by an impressive 367 million people.

As is the norm, both superstars use the platform to earn money from sponsored posts. And according to NetCredit’s report, Ronaldo enjoyed a considerably higher Instagram payout than his rival Messi last year. It has been claimed that the former Real Madrid star earned a whopping $85 million (£75 million) from sponsored posts on Instagram. The PSG forward, meanwhile, took home $72 million (£63 million) — $12 million less than Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were the top two earners on Instagram in 2021.

"We lost against Ronaldo, not against Man United" 👀

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says Cristiano Ronaldo "solved the situation alone" against his side last season after a hat-trick at Old Trafford ⚪🔙

https://t.co/TxVLR35mzs

Former Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli rounded out the top three Instagram earners. The 33-year-old superstar earned a cool $36 million dollars (£31.7 million) from sponsored content on Instagram.

Tim Sherwood predicts Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or future

On October 17, 34-year-old Real Madrid skipper Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the only the fifth Frenchman to win it. Ronaldo finished 20th in the 30-man rankings while 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Messi failed to make the 30-man shortlist. It marked the first time since 2006 that neither Messi nor Ronaldo secured a podium finish.

At the age of 35, Lionel Messi is:

▪️ 99th percentile for xG
▪️ 99th percentile for Shots
▪️ 99th percentile for Touches in the Box
▪️ 98th percentile for OP xG Assisted
▪️ 97th percentile for Successful Dribbles

Goat. https://t.co/zJjZTSDJTy

Former Blackburn Rovers star Tim Sherwood declared that it was the end of the line for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, backing France Football to pick new winners henceforth. On talkSPORT, Sherwood said (via PSGTalk):

“We’re going to see some new winners. Obviously. It’s going to be no more Messi and no more Ronaldo. We’ve enjoyed it while it lasts, but I think it’s time for the new breed [Kylian] Mbappé, possibly. Certainly [Erling] Haaland. I see him winning it because of his output, which is incredible.”

Ronaldo, 37, has scored twice in 12 appearances for Manchester United this season, while 35-year-old Messi has netted eight times in 14 games for PSG across competitions.