Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to breaking records in football, and his social media presence is no different.
In a massive achievement, the football legend has become the first person to reach 500 million Instagram followers.
That indicates that the Portuguese footballer is currently followed by more than 10% of the world’s population (or around one in every 16 people).
The next most-followed Instagram profiles are footballer Lionel Messi (376 million) and Kylie Jenner (372 million).
The record-breaking follower count comes after the Manchester United star lashed out at his own club, telling Piers Morgan on TalkTV that the club had ‘betrayed’ him.
The legendary forward did not hold back in the stunning interview when describing how he feels amongst his teammates.
“Yes, I am feeling betrayed. And I had the impression that certain people didn’t want me here “Ronaldo informed Morgan.
“Not only this year but also last year.”
Despite his negative remarks about his own squad, Ronaldo’s fan base grew steadily until it reached 500 million.
A post promoting designer label Louis Vuitton alongside fellow football star Lionel Messi appeared just before he reached 500 followers.
It very well may have been what tipped Ronaldo’s follower count over the edge.
The footballers posted the photo on their Instagram accounts with the caption: “Victory is a mental state. Annie Leibovitz captured a historic heritage of trunk making for Louis Vuitton.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJqW1ZtmIl/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=69c2407c-c860-40a8-9c55-908e4741ac6c
The image, which shows both players deep in thought as they plot their next move, appears to be symbolic of their incredible professional careers, which have seen them score over 1600 goals.
Both will try to add to their tally of goals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In just 24 hours after posting the photo, the Portuguese celebrity attracted over one million followers.
So it appears that Kim Kardashian isn’t the only one capable of breaking the internet these days.
The image, which shows the two athletes playing chess, has received over 35 million likes.
Ronaldo’s images typically receive an average of 10 million likes for every post.
The photo, captured by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, has subsequently become Instagram’s second-most-liked post.
