Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar: How do the world's best footballers rank in terms of influence on Instagram ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo will be the most influential footballer on Instagram entering the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. The Manchester United forward leads the influencer rankings with an average of more than $3.5m in media value per post.

As reported by BBC Sport, the rankings are based on Nielsen Gracenote's influencer measurement tool. The tool evaluates total followers, follower growth, engagement rate and average brand value per post on Instagram to give a media value total.

Cristiano Ronaldo saw a 48% increase in followers last year, according to the report, and currently has 480 million followers on Instagram.

His eternal rival Lionel Messi is second in the rankings with a following of 360 million people and has seen a 38% growth in his followers.

The Argentine maestro earns $2.6m in media value per post, which is significantly less compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.

With his goal against Lyon yesterday, Lionel Messi surpassed both Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo for most non-penalty goals in the history of football.

🇦🇷 Messi: 672
🇧🇷 Pele: 671
🇵🇹 Ronaldo: 671 https://t.co/XOJliAKxhq

Messi's Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammates Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are respectively third and fourth on the list.

Both PSG attackers average more than $1m per post and are the most influential players from their respective countries, Brazil and France.

Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema are fifth and sixth in the rankings respectively.

AS Roma star Paulo Dybala is the second most influential Argentine after Lionel Messi and is seventh on this list.

France have two more names on the list, with Chelsea's N'Golo Kante and Juventus' Paul Pogba occupying the eighth and ninth positions, respectively.

PSG defender Sergio Ramos is the tenth most influential player according to the rankings, and is the sole representative from Spain.

Reigning world champions France will be the most influential team on social media at the 2022 World Cup, with 11.7 million followers on their official page.

Les Bleus are followed by Brazil and Portugal, who have 11.3 million and 10.3 million followers, respectively.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain the biggest names in world football

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shared a rivalry for over a decade. The duo have dominated the game like no footballer ever did, which is evident from their combined total of 12 Ballons d'Or.

Both Rooney and Beckham saying Messi is above Ronaldo. This is why I love the Messi vs Ronaldo debate and we should cherish it while we have it. For me Ronaldo is better. Because he wasn't the better raw talent but worked ridiculously hard to be that good

It is pretty evident that they are in the final stages of their careers and this, in all likeliness, could be their last World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will both head into the World Cup among the favorites to lead their respective nations to glory.