Cristiano Ronaldo topples former WWE superstar to become the highest-earning celebrity on Instagram
Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed former WWE superstar and current Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson in becoming the richest celebrity on Instagram.
This is a significant moment in the history of the social media platform as this is the first time a sporting personality has toppled a Hollywood actor or a music star in the richest celebrity list since its inception in 2017.
Cristiano Ronaldo currently earns around $1.6 million for a sponsored Instagram post while Dwayne Johnson earns $1.52 million and third placed Ariana Grande earning a little less at $1.51 million.
The Portuguese captain currently has more than 300 million followers on Instagram. Ronaldo has added 125 million followers since the beginning of 2021 alone. If one includes all social media platforms, Cristiano Ronaldo has a combined following of more than 550 million people.
The only other sportsman on the top 10 list is Cristiano Ronaldo's long-time rival Lionel Messi. The Argentine is seventh on the table, earning $1.1 million per sponsored post. Neymar is the next sportsman in 16th place.
The power of his social media presence was seen at the ongoing Euro 2020 where Cristiano Ronaldo moved a couple of Coca-Cola bottles aside and urged people to drink water. The act immediately went viral on social media, which had large financial repercussions for the American beverage company.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Updates on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's futures, Arsenal active in the transfer market and more
Cristiano Ronaldo did not have a happy ending at Euro 2020
Despite scoring five goals at Euro 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal side fell short in defending their European Championship crown. Portugal were knocked out by Belgium in the Round of 16.
However, the five-time Ballon D'Or winner is still on course to win the Golden Boot. Ronaldo currently has 5 goals in the competition and is currently one goal ahead of Czech Republic's Patrik Schick and two goals ahead of England's Raheem Sterling and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku.
All in all, it was a record breaking Euro 2020 for Cristiano Ronaldo. The 36-year-old surpassed Michel Platini to become the leading goalscorer at the European Championships. Ronaldo is currently tied with Iran's Ali Daei as the all-time top scorer in international football with 109 goals.
Also Read: Jim Beglin's column - Euro 2020: 5 players who have surprised everyone with their performances