Cristiano Ronaldo has shot at the top of the wealthy Instagram list of celebrities who can afford to demand the highest sum of money for a sponsored post.
The Portugese footballer can solicit up to $ 1.6m (£ 1.2m) to promote a product on social media.
The Portuguese captain, who famously infuriated the Euro 2020 sponsor Coca-Cola for removing the company’s drinks at a post-match press conference, has been crowned king of influencers on a list that includes fighter-turned-actor Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson and well-known singer Ariana Grande.
Third To First Rank
It is the first time that a soccer player has come in the first place in the list this year. Usually it is led by American celebrities from reality TV, film and music industries.
The amount Ronaldo is approximately demanding for a sponsored post on Instagram has risen sharply over the past year, almost double of $ 889,000 which was his charge in 2019.
Ronaldo finished third in 2019, beating former list holder Johnson and second-placed Kylie Jenner, a cosmetic businessman and celebrity.
$40 Million From Instagram Annually
The 36-year-old is estimated to make north of $ 40m a year from Instagram, in addition to his salary as a player in the Italian Serie A team Juventus, and his growing popularity during the pandemic has also shocked others in the list.
Ronaldo is the most followed Instagram personality with over 300 million followers, adding more than 125 million since the beginning of last year, more than three times the 100 million he had in 2017 when the first “rich list” was published.
Brands pushed by Ronaldo on Instagram include the anti-dandruff haircare brand Clear, which he promotes in slick television-quality videos alongside more amateur posts with advice to followers such as: “Keeping a clear head helps me to be on top of my game”.
Who Are Others On The List?
His following integrated on social media, including major Facebook and Twitter is over 550 million.
The top 10 list includes only one other sports star, Ronaldo’s biggest rival Lionel Messi, who is ranked seventh and can charge about $ 1.2m per post.
The top six are women that include top stars such as Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Grande and Selena Gomez.
