The attacker Neymar Jr. consolidated his position as the third football player with the highest digital engagement among all those registered for Copa of Mundo. Restando nine days before the start of the main competition in world football, the athlete arrived at Nova Jersey along with the Brazilian delegation, bringing with him an important mark outside the four lines. The number 10 of the Brazilian team currently has 233 million followers on his official account on the Instagram platform, being surpassed globally only by two other historic sports stars.
The remarkable presence on the internet reflects the reach of an established career in European football after successful spells with significant teams on the continent such as Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain over the last few years. Aos 34 years old, the experienced player is preparing to compete in his fourth edition of the world selection tournament for Amarelinha. Mesmo currently operating in different markets, the power of media attraction of the main Brazilian player of the last decade continues to surpass almost all the international stars that will be present on American lawns in the coming days.
Brasil has two representatives in the group of ten most followed players
The data collected indicates that the Brazilian market maintains strong hegemony in terms of digital popularity in the sports environment. The country appears prominently in the survey as it is the only nation on the planet to have two athletes included simultaneously in the list of the top ten.
Além in third place occupied by the team’s main articulator, striker Vinicius Jr. appears in sixth place worldwide, registering 59.8 million fans connected to its profile on the social network. The young man trained in the Flamengo youth categories has been accumulating international protagonism in recent European seasons, converting his success on the field into new fans in the virtual environment in an accelerated manner.
Abaixo are listed the ten athletes with the greatest numerical relevance on the social network who participate in the current edition of Copa of Mundo:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 665 million followers
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 506 million followers
- Neymar Jr. (Brasil): 233 million followers
- Kylian Mbappé (França): 130 million followers
- Karim Benzema (França): 76 million followers
- Vinicius Jr. (Brasil): 59.8 million followers
- Mohamed Salah (Egito): 53 million followers
- Luka Modric (Croácia): 44 million followers
- Lamine Yamal (Espanha): 43.1 million followers
- Robert Lewandowski (Polônia): 35.5 million followers
Fenômenos world leaders lead the digital ranking with ease
The absolute leadership of virtual statistics remains concentrated in the hands of the two biggest individual award winners of the last two decades. Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo leads the ranks of the most followed athletes on the planet by registering the historic mark of 665 million users connected to his personal account.
Logo behind the European athlete comes the Argentine Lionel Messi. The current captain of the Albiceleste team has 506 million admirers on his page. Somados, the two veterans who made their mark in Spanish football, have more than 1 billion internet users on their respective media. Esse’s volume of interactions creates a considerable statistical gap with the tournament’s younger competitors looking to inherit the sport’s top spot.
Striker Kylian Mbappé appears consolidated in fourth place in the ranking with 130 million fans, being the main name of the new European generation on the list. The athlete from the French team leads the group of players who are below the 200 million mark, establishing himself as a relevant commercial force in Europa.
Spanish Promessa breaks precociousness records on social media
One of the big surprises on the list involves the rapid rise of a young continental football talent who makes his debut in the tournament. Striker Lamine Yamal, just 18 years old, managed to secure a place within the group of the ten most followed athletes in the tournament by reaching the mark of 43.1 million virtual connections.
The young athlete from the Barcelona team has been attracting the world’s attention due to the speed with which he assumed responsibilities at his club and the Spanish national team. The reach achieved by the young man puts the striker ahead of established names and veterans of European football who boast years of international career in big leagues.
The preparation of the Brazilian team on North American soil continues at an intense pace in the Nova Jersey training camps. The national technical committee plans to use the remaining period before the official debut to adjust the final tactical details of the squad. The expectation revolves around the use of Neymar Jr. and Vinicius Jr. as the main offensive weapons to seek the world title on North American lawns.