Manchester United Beat Barcelona, Real Madrid to Become the Most Popular Club on Social Media

• Manchester United have, for the first time, soared above Barcelona and Real Madrid in terms of social media engagement
• United's growth in social media has been attributed to the re-signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus last summer
• It is understood that 10 of the 25 most popular posts shared by the Red Devils in the past year were related to the veteran striker
• This comes at a time Ronaldo is staring at an uncertain future with United, having reportedly requested to depart this summer

Manchester United are now the most popular club on social media, beating Real Madrid and Barcelona to the lucrative honour.

United's latest achievement comes despite their struggles on the pitch, especially last season when they ended the campaign without a trophy.

According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils have seen a rise in their social media engagement which has almost doubled to more than two billion interactions in just 12 months.

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The publication claims the improvement can be attributed to wantaway striker Cristiano Ronaldo, with the majority of posts on the Portuguese talisman racking up significant engagement.

How Cristiano Ronaldo has impacted Man United's social media engagement

It is understood that 25 of the most popular posts published by Man United on social media, 10 of them were related to Ronaldo.

Incredibly, Mail Online reports that the top three posts by the club were all about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

This, the outlet adds, has seen the Red Devils become the most popular club on social media worldwide.

In a nutshell, they have soared above Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid for the first time in terms of engagement.

This is expected to boost United's sponsorship deals, with several sponsors understood to look at a club's social media engagement to decide how much they will invest in them.

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Erik ten Hag introduces tough rules for Man United players

Meanwhile, Sports Brief earlier reported that new Man United boss Erik Ten Hag has introduced new tough rules in a bid to get the best out of his players.

The move is understood to be aimed at transforming the philosophy of the Red Devils as Ten Hag kicks off his Old Trafford reign.

Key among the regulations introduced include a ban on sideways and backwards passing.