Cristiano Ronaldo makes history as he reaches 1 billion followers across social media platforms
Cristiano Ronaldo has created yet another record, this time off the field, as he has reached one billion followers across social media platforms. The legendary Portuguese striker has been one of the most-followed athletes in the world, and he is the first to cross such a massive milestone.
Ronaldo has an impressive 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million followers on Facebook, and 113 million on X. He started off his YouTube channel in July, and the numbers have gone up quickly, with the legendary striker garnering 60 million subscribers so far.
Counting other social media channels, where he has racked up another 18 million followers, the 39-year-old has hit the milestone (via Cristiano Ronaldo on X).
This record has come after the Al-Nassr striker recently reached the 900-career goal mark during international duty with Portugal. He is the first player to have scored 900 goals, with only Lionel Messi (838 goals) nearing the milestone.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia on September 5 to mark his 900th goal. The 39-year-old also scored in their 2-1 win over Scotland on September 8 to make it 901, and now he is headed for 1,000 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo speaks about Manchester United's rebuild
Cristiano Ronaldo has been outspoken with his YouTube channel UR Cristiano. He revealed that his former club Manchester United need a total rebuild to flourish under new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ronaldo left the club in November 2022 after his contract was mutually terminated, following a tell-all interview with TV personality Piers Morgan. He had lashed out at the club's hierarchy and manager, saying he did not respect Erik ten Hag. This saw his second stint at Old Trafford come to an end.
He has since left for Saudi Arabia, where he began playing for Al-Nassr in January 2023. However, he spoke about his former club, explaining (via ESPN):
"They [United] need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. This club needs time to rebuild because it's still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that. This is the only way ... They're investing in the training ground ... So I'm happy because [things are changing]. I believe that the future will be bright."
"They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible. They can do good things, yes, they can win Carabao, yeah, but I mean, Champions League or Europa League or Premier League -- difficult, in my opinion. And I wish that I'm wrong, I wish, but [it] will be difficult," he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo's high-profile return to United in the summer of 2021 ended rather poorly as he left in November 2022. However, he remains a legend of the club, having scored 145 goals and provided 64 assists in 346 games at the club.