Cristiano Ronaldo Named Most Powerful Footballer on Instagram to Play at 2022 World Cup

• Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is still on top of the world on Instagram ahead of the World Cup
• Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe trail the Portuguese superstar, who averages $3.5 million in media value per post
• The ranking is based on an analysis done by Nielsen Gracenote on players who are expected to play at the 2022 Qatar World Cup

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the most powerful player expected to play at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Portugal captain leads the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr in a report released by analysts.

Cristiano Ronaldo is still king on Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo will be the most influential footballer on Instagram at the 2022 World Cup, according to the BBC Sport.

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The Manchester United forward has recorded a 48% followers increase in the past year whilst averaging $3.5 million per post. A study done by analysts Nielsen Gracenote ranked players who are set to feature at the World Cup, which starts in November.

The 37-year-old has a world-leading 480 million followers, while his long-time footballing rival Lionel Messi has 360 million followers, which is a 38% growth in the past year. Messi's account produces $2.6 million media value per post.

Messi is closely followed by his PSG teammates Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, both of whom average $1 million per post.

2022 Champions League and La Liga winner Vinicius Junior had the biggest increase of any player, having scored the winning goal to clinch Real Madrid's European title.

Barcelona youngster Gavi was the breakthrough star on Instagram after recording an over 5000% growth. The likes of Raphinha and Antony, who joined Barcelona and Manchester United, respectively, have also gained huge numbers.

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United star Jadon Sancho is the most popular English footballer on the platform.

On the national team front, France leads the way, followed by Brazil, Portugal, England and Argentina in that order.

Messi overtakes Ronaldo on another record

Earlier Sports Brief reported on Lionel Messi surpassing Ronaldo on another record.

The Argentine star overtook Ronaldo on most non-penalty goals scored with 672 to Ronaldo's 671.

The two greats are heading towards the twilight of their careers and given how close their achievements are, it won't be a surprise to see both of them match on many records.