Cristiano Ronaldo first to hit 1bn social media followers

Cristiano Ronaldo has hit 1bn total followers across his various social media accounts – making him the first person to reach that mind-boggling figure.

The number is calculated by combining his total number of followers across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Chinese social media sites Weibo and Kuaishou.

It does not equate to one billion individual followers, as many people will follow him across multiple platforms, and some will be fake accounts, known as bots.

Nonetheless social media expert Paolo Pescatore, from PP Foresight, described it as a “staggering number” that media and brands would pay close attention to.

“What an achievement, and it further underlines the fundamental shift taking place in media.”

It showed “the power to reach new, younger audiences thanks to technology”, he told the BBC.

On the pitch, Ronaldo was famed for his rivalry with Argentinian star Lionel Messi.

But off it, there is no competition for who is winning the social media contest – Messi has a mere 623 million followers.

It’s not just sport: Ronaldo is also ahead of some of the biggest names in entertainment, including singers Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.

Even those known primarily for their work online cannot compete – MrBeast, the top YouTuber in the world, has 543m total followers.