The ‘Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi’ debate has been going on for years and seems to be never-ending. The footballers are legends in their own right. But, there is one aspect where Ronaldo is way ahead of Messi. According to a report in Nielsen Sports, the Real Madrid forward is ruling the social media on all platforms, be it Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2018, the Portuguese forward fetched a mind-blowing 570 million engagements across the three platforms in the first five months of 2018. Brazillian star Neymar Jr is next with 294 million followed by Argentine forward Lionel Messi with 201 million engagements.
The other two footballers who made it to the list are Spanish and Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos followed by Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohammad Salah.
The engagements do not always correspond to their team’s performance on the field. According to the report, “A broader range of factors comes into play, such as the ability to project a likeable personality or enviable lifestyle,”.
Here’s an example —
ALSO READ: India Sees Astonishing 15% Rise In Football Followers, Just 6% Behind United Kingdom: Report
Salah is another perfect example. His social work is one of the reasons why he is one of the most popular all-time stars of Liverpool, despite hailing from a country that is not as football-crazy.
ALSO READ: ‘Those Are Just Stats’, Sunil Chhetri Reacts On Equalling Lionel Messi’s Record
Ronaldo is not just leading in social media engagement; the 33-year-old has 322.8 million followers across all platforms. He is followed by Neymar and Messi with 194.2 million and 181.9 million followers respectively.
