September 14, 2024 | 3:33pm
MANILA, Philippines — Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo made history as the first person to reach a billion followers on social media.
The most-followed individual on Instagram with 638 million followers also has 170 million followers on Facebook, over 110 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), and even more on the Chinese social media sites Weibo and Kuaishou.
But what got him into the billion mark was his YouTube channel, which he launched last month, with currently more than 60 million subscribers.
The next person with the most followers across all social media platforms is singer-actress Selena Gomez with 690 million followers, followed by Ronaldo’s long-time football rival Lionel Messi with 623 million followers.
We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a number – it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond.
From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1… pic.twitter.com/kZKo803rJo
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) September 12, 2024
Ronaldo celebrated the achievement with a social card posted across his channels and platforms, calling the billion mark a “testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond.”
“From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together,” he said. “You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve.”
The athlete ended his posts with more words of gratitude and assured more can be expected of him, “The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together.”
Ronaldo, who plays club football with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Arabian league, recently scored his 900th career goal while captaining Portugal in a game against Croatia.
The highly-decorated player also topped Forbes’ latest list of best paid athletes, largely because of his social media following.
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