HOW DID SUPERSTARS FARE?
Established global stars like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (already the most-followed celebrity on Instagram), Brazil’s Neymar, England’s Jude Bellingham, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé have gained another 10 million, 6.5 million, 6 million, 5.8 million and 4 million Instagram followers, respectively, since the start of the World Cup.
KEY BACKGROUND
Social media followings have become a major indicator of an athlete’s commercial value—and financial potential. Companies are eager to gain access to the millions of potential customers online whom athletes are able to access through their followings, and huge audiences can lead to sponsorships, higher appearance fees, memorabilia sales and other business opportunities that translate to off-field earnings for athletes. The highest-profile athletes—including billionaires Ronaldo and Messi—use their social media accounts to build businesses beyond endorsements, like personal brands, clothing lines, fitness products, media projects and other investments. Ronaldo’s social media presence is estimated to have generated $176 million in media value for his sponsors in the last year, with $36 million of that for Nike alone.
TANGENT
When a social media star posts about a product—even indirectly—their followers flock. Google search volume skyrocketed more than 5,000% earlier this week for the term “taxidermied raccoon” after Haaland was seen disembarking a plane in Oslo, Norway, on Monday with his bizarre World Cup souvenir. The player spent $750 on the raccoon, which is holding an empty bottle of gin, at Wild Bill’s Western Store in Dallas. The product has since sold out, and the store promises more inventory is on the way.
FORBES VALUATION
Ronaldo is world’s top-earning athlete from any sport, with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. He’s estimated to have earned $300 million in income in the last 12 months. Messi, also a billionaire, has a net worth of $1.1 billion, Forbes estimates. Other top-earning players at this year’s World Cup include Mbappé, Haaland, Vinicius Jr. of Brazil and Mohamed Salah of Egypt.
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