Top 10 Most Popular Soccer Players In The World In 2024
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo currently tops the list of the most popular soccer players in 2022. The Manchester United winger currently has more than 477 million followers on Instagram, 153 million followers on Facebook, and another 102.9 million followers on his Twitter account.
Although it’s obvious that every football player is famous because they are stars of millions of hearts. The sport of football itself has over 3.5 billion followers worldwide. We have made a ranking of the most popular soccer players in the world this year as we did in previous years.
Social media is dominating the world, particularly among football players who interact with their fans through their social media accounts. This is the catch for us to determine which player has the most followers and huge fanatical fans around the world. Our evaluation will not only look at fan following but also sponsoring and successful careers. Let’s take a look at the most popular soccer players in the world right now.
Most Popular Soccer Players | Popularity Ranking 2024
Football is not just one of the most popular sports in the world, but it is also among the highest-paying sports known to mankind. Besides, all the players of the elite clubs and countries have immense popularity around the globe. And here are the most popular footballers in 2024.
10. Marcelo – Brazil | Real Madrid
Marcelo Vieira da Silva Junior is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Real Madrid. He won 25 trophies, including five UEFA Champions Leagues, Olympic silver medals, as well as six La Liga titles.
He is one of the most followed footballers on Instagram, with a huge fan following. There are 28 million followers on Marcello’s Facebook page. Besides being the most followed person on Facebook, he has 12.7 million followers on Twitter and 58.2 million followers on Instagram.
On all of his social media accounts, he has accumulated 98.9 million followers. In addition to his amazing fan following, he has also been sponsored by many companies who pay him a large sum of money.
As well as being one of football’s most famous players, Marcelo is also one of its richest. It is estimated that he is worth $16 million US dollars.
9. Mohamed Salah – Egypt | Liverpool
Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays for Liverpool in the Premier League. He won multiple awards, including UAFA Golden Boy in 2012, Swiss Super League Player of the Year, and Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award.
Salah is known for his propensity and his dribbling. He is one of the most popular football players with a huge fan following across the world. He has 17.3 million followers on his Twitter account.
Aside from being the most followed athlete on Twitter, he also has 52.5 million followers on Instagram and 16 million on Facebook. Besides, he is also one of the highest-paid soccer players right now.
Following his huge success and being loved by millions of fans, he now has a sponsorship deal with sportswear supplier Adidas that pays handsomely. Having a $88 million net worth, Salah has earned his 9th position among our 10 most popular soccer players in the world right now.
8. Virgil Van Dijk – Netherlands | Liverpool
Dutch professional footballer Virgil van Dijk plays as a center-back for the Premier League club, Liverpool. He is considered to be one of the best defenders in the football world. He has won multiple awards to gain a spot in world soccer player popularity rankings, including PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Liverpool Players’ Player of the Season Award, and FIFA FIFPro World11.
Virgil is the only defender to win UEFA Men’s Player of the Year. A phenomenal career has helped him gain popularity. He is one of the richest and most famous footballers in the world.
He has 3.1 million followers on Twitter, 12.5 million followers on Instagram, and 318k followers on his Facebook account. In addition to his popularity, he also has brands that sponsor him, paying him a handsome sum of money.
It is widely known that he has a sense of humor and a kind personality that makes people like him. His achievements and his popularity earn him the 8th spot in our top 10 most popular soccer players in the world right now.
7. Erling Haaland – Norway | Manchester City
A Norwegian professional footballer Erling Haaland plays as a striker for Premier League side Manchester City. Tall and handsome, Haaland started his career at his hometown club, Bryne, in 2016.
During his very short time in the football world, he has achieved multiple awards, including Eliteserien’s breakthrough of the year, Austrian Footballer of the Year, and FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Boot.
Erling is well known for his fast-moving and for his striking skills. He is considered one of the most popular footballers. Haaland has an enormous fan following on different accounts of social media, with 17.8 million followers on Instagram, 13 million followers on Facebook, and 2.4 million followers on Twitter.
He is charming and looks awesome to his fans. All the people who admire him say he is one of the cutest players in football history. Erling also earns from a sponsorship deal with US sportswear manufacturer Nike.
6. Robert Lewandowski – Poland | Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for the La Liga side FC Barcelona. The best striker of all time, Robert has scored 500 senior career goals for club and country.
The handsome and very appealing face of this player, coupled with his blue eyes, makes him the most handsome player in the league.
He has an enormous fan following on social media. Robert has 28.9 million followers on Instagram. Besides being the most followed player on Instagram, he has 1.85 million followers on Twitter and 2.4 million followers on Facebook.
He earns a lot of money from sponsorship. Robert Lewandowski has endorsed brands like Nike, Huawei, Opel, and EA Sports in the past and currently endorses CoverGirl and sports drink brand Oshie. With a net worth of $182 million, he is one of the richest footballers in 2022.
5. Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium | Manchester City
A Belgian professional footballer Kevin De Bruyne plays as a midfielder for one of the Premier League champions, Manchester City. It has often been said that De Bruyne is the greatest football midfielder in the world and a complete footballer.
The handsome Kevin is considered the most famous football player in 2022. He has achieved multiple awards, which is the biggest reason behind his popularity.
He has achieved Bundesliga Young Player of the Year, Footballer of the Year (Germany), and Manchester City Player of the Season. Kevin has 18.7 million followers on Instagram, 3.7 million followers on Twitter, and 16 million followers on his Facebook account.
Apart from his popularity, he is also one of the richest footballers; his net worth is $85 Million. The wealth of De Bruyne comes from a mixture of lucrative contracts and sponsorship deals with Nike, EA Sports, and Orange.
4. Paulo Dybala – Argentina | AS Roma
Paulo Exequiel Dybala is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club AS Roma. He is dubbed by many as one of the best football wingers in the world right now.
The handsome hunk has millions of crazy fan following around the world. He has won many titles, including Serie A Team of the Year, Serie A Most Valuable Player, and Coppa Italia. He is well known for his deep blue eyes and his innocence.
Dybala has a huge fan following on his social media accounts, with 48.4 million followers on Instagram, 2.3 million followers on Twitter, and 15 million followers on his Facebook account. He is famous for his charm and his amazing playing tactics.
Besides his fan following on social media accounts, he also has a huge paying brand for sponsorship, Adidas. He is among the richest soccer players, also having a net worth of $40 million. Surely, Dybala is in the 4th spot in our top 10 most popular soccer players in the world right now.
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3. Neymar – Brazil | Paris Saint-Germain
Neymar is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Ligue 1 side and one of the richest football clubs, Paris Saint-Germain. He is widely regarded as one of the most popular footballers ever.
Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012 and soon relocated to Europe to join Barcelona. He is a giant who won various prizes in his career, including La Liga Best World Player, Copa America, and FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball.
In his entire career, he scored 200 goals in 333 games. Neymar is well-known by all football lovers and has a huge fan following across the globe. NJR has millions of fans following on social media, like 57.7 million followers on Twitter, 177 million followers on Instagram, and 89 million followers on Facebook.
He is also one of the highest-paid athletes of this year, with a net worth of $200 million. Neymar has a sponsorship with Puma, which is paying him $35 million/year.
2. Lionel Messi – Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain
Messi is one of the greatest Argentine footballers who plays as a forward for the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. Throughout his career, he has won seven Ballon d’Or awards and six European Golden shoe awards.
Leo is regarded as the most popular footballer right now. Besides, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He is known for his quiet personality, which is what makes him a very gentle person, and most football lovers love him because of his decent lifestyle.
Leo has a very huge fan following across the globe. He has 358 million followers on Instagram and 106 million followers on Facebook. Messi doesn’t use a Twitter account; still, he gained 256.5 million fans all over the world.
He also has a lifelong deal with Adidas. And Leo is well known for his kind personality and his positive attitude toward all his fellow players. Lionel Messi deserves 2nd spot out of the 10 most popular soccer players in the world right now.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal | Manchester United
A Portuguese professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo plays as a forward for the English Premier League club Manchester United. He is one of the most popular soccer players and one of the most handsome footballers of all time. He won FIFA Ballon d’Or five times, including other awards like FIFA World Player of the Year, European Golden Shoe, and PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
CR7 is one of those players who believe in hard work and being the best on the pitch or off the pitch. According to a report published last year, he earns more money from Instagram sponsorship deals than he does from wages with Juventus. The giant has fanatical fans around the world. People are going crazy just to see him only once.
And why not? Cristiano Ronaldo is a dashing, handsome, and most successful player in the world. CR7 has 153 million followers on Facebook, 477 million followers on Instagram, and 102.9 million followers on Twitter.
He is one of the most-followed people on all social media accounts. Football lovers just follow what he says or does. For sure, he deserves 1st spot on the 10 most popular soccer players in the world right now.
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Conclusion
That’s all, readers; we hope you enjoyed reading our top picks. Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about our collection. We would appreciate it if you sent us mail or left a comment.
Most Popular Footballers | 2024 Infographics
FAQs Regarding Most Popular Football Players
Q. Who is the most popular footballer of all time?
Legendary former Argentine footballer, Diego Maradona, is considered the most popular footballer of all time. Brazilian legend Pele is next on the line. And if you talk about the active players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both deserve their mentions.
Q. Who is the most popular footballer right now?
Without any doubt, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most popular footballer in the world right now. The Portuguese footballing icon currently has fans in more than 82 countries. He is as popular on social media as he is in the professional footballing circuit.
Q. Who is the most popular footballer on social media?
The current winger of the Premier League side Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, is the most popular footballer on social media. He currently has more than 477 million followers on Instagram, 153 million followers on his Facebook account, and 103 million followers on Twitter.
Q. Who is the most popular footballer in club football?
Legendary Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi, is the most popular footballer in club football. The current striking power of the Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, Messi has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or a record seven times and the European Golden Shoe a record six times.