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Most Influential Athletes — Football (2026 ranking)

Today's movement

Ronaldo and Messi neck and neck. Güler posts the biggest 30-day gain, at +329.

Who are the most influential athletes on social media? As of Oct 27, 2026, the five most influential are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Neymar Jr, and Erling Braut Haaland. The Favikon Index Top 200 Athletes · Football ranks athletes from every sport every day by their online influence on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X and LinkedIn. Related rankings: Top 200 Athletes, Top 100 Clubs, Top 200 Creators, and Creator brands.

Climbing · 30D

See who's surging ↓

Making people react · min. 5M views

See the map ↓

Falling · 30D

See who's surging ↓

Top 200 Athletes · Football: the full ranking

The ranking

Athletes, active or retired, ranked by Favikon influence score.

#Person30D×
1#1CRCristiano RonaldoRonaldoFootball Portugal9,999=0.3×Strongest on Instagram, 98% of interactionsInstagram 98% · 111.4M interactionsX 2% · 2.6M interactionsYouTube 0% · 10.8K interactions
=2#2LMLionel MessiMessiFootball Argentina9,999=2.2×Strongest on Instagram, 100% of interactionsInstagram 100% · 104.4M interactions
=2#2LYLamine YamalYamalFootball Spain9,999−12.8×Strongest on TikTok, 54% of interactionsTikTok 54% · 48.7M interactionsInstagram 46% · 42M interactions
=2#2NJNeymar JrNeymar JrFootball Brazil9,999=0.4×Strongest on Instagram, 97% of interactionsInstagram 97% · 63.4M interactionsTikTok 2% · 1.1M interactionsX 1% · 663.1K interactionsYouTube 0% · 158.6K interactions
=2#2EBErling Braut HaalandBraut HaalandFootball Norway9,999=3.0×Strongest on Instagram, 85% of interactionsInstagram 85% · 20.9M interactionsTikTok 10% · 2.5M interactionsX 5% · 1.3M interactionsYouTube 0% · 79.6K interactions
=2#2KMKylian MbappéMbappéFootball France9,999+83≤0.2×Strongest on Instagram, 92% of interactionsInstagram 92% · 21.1M interactionsX 8% · 1.8M interactions
=2#2PDPaulo DybalaDybalaFootball Argentina9,999=12.2×Strongest on Instagram, 88% of interactionsInstagram 88% · 10M interactionsTikTok 12% · 1.4M interactions
8#8JBJude BellinghamBellinghamFootball United Kingdom9,999=2.9×Strongest on Instagram, 100% of interactionsInstagram 100% · 20.3M interactions
9#9RRodrygoRodrygoFootball Brazil9,999=16.5×Strongest on Instagram, 48% of interactionsInstagram 48% · 2M interactionsTikTok 45% · 1.9M interactionsX 7% · 290.2K interactions
=10#11MSMohamed SalahSalahFootball Egypt9,998−15.1×Strongest on Instagram, 90% of interactionsInstagram 90% · 7.7M interactionsX 10% · 850.6K interactions
=10#11PPedriPedriFootball Spain9,998=19.3×Strongest on Instagram, 79% of interactionsInstagram 79% · 5.3M interactionsTikTok 18% · 1.2M interactionsX 3% · 165.8K interactions
12#13RRaphinhaRaphinhaFootball Brazil9,998=11.6×Strongest on Instagram, 100% of interactionsInstagram 100% · 8.3M interactionsX 0% · 10K interactions
13#15RRicharlisonRicharlisonFootball Brazil9,997+125.7×Strongest on Instagram, 81% of interactionsInstagram 81% · 16.2M interactionsTikTok 19% · 3.8M interactions
14#17EFEnzo FernándezFernándezFootball Argentina9,996=25.3×Strongest on Instagram, 90% of interactionsInstagram 90% · 16.5M interactionsTikTok 6% · 1.1M interactionsX 4% · 621K interactions
=15#18DBDavid BeckhamBeckhamFootball United Kingdom9,996−21.2×Strongest on Instagram, 96% of interactionsInstagram 96% · 8.1M interactionsTikTok 4% · 301K interactions
=15#18EEndrickEndrickFootball Brazil9,996−14.2×Strongest on Instagram, 92% of interactionsInstagram 92% · 4.5M interactionsX 7% · 343.9K interactionsTikTok 1% · 61.7K interactions
17#23RRonaldinhoRonaldinhoFootball Brazil9,994−10.4×Strongest on Instagram, 89% of interactionsInstagram 89% · 6.3M interactionsX 9% · 604.3K interactionsTikTok 2% · 156.9K interactionsYouTube 0% · 510 interactions
=18#25ZIZlatan IbrahimovićIbrahimovićFootball Sweden9,994−21.0×Strongest on Instagram, 54% of interactionsInstagram 54% · 2.8M interactionsTikTok 44% · 2.3M interactionsX 2% · 90.4K interactions
=18#25FTFerran TorresTorresFootball Spain9,994−113.4×Strongest on Instagram, 70% of interactionsInstagram 70% · 2.3M interactionsTikTok 29% · 955.6K interactionsX 1% · 18.5K interactions
20#28LPLeandro ParedesParedesFootball Argentina9,993−113.8×Strongest on Instagram, 100% of interactionsInstagram 100% · 9.1M interactions
21#30BFBruno FernandesFernandesFootball Portugal9,993−1—Strongest on Instagram, 60% of interactionsInstagram 60% · 688.5K interactionsTikTok 24% · 267.1K interactionsX 16% · 183.3K interactions
22#31MÖMesut ÖzilÖzilFootball Germany9,993+42.0×Strongest on Instagram, 99% of interactionsInstagram 99% · 2.4M interactionsX 1% · 35.6K interactions
=23#32HKHarry KaneKaneFootball United Kingdom9,992=2.6×Strongest on Instagram, 59% of interactionsInstagram 59% · 24.2M interactionsTikTok 31% · 12.6M interactionsX 10% · 4.3M interactions
=23#32MIMauro IcardiIcardiFootball Argentina9,992=11.6×Strongest on Instagram, 95% of interactionsInstagram 95% · 2.9M interactionsTikTok 5% · 158.7K interactions
25#39MMarceloMarceloFootball Brazil9,990+31.0×Strongest on Instagram, 95% of interactionsInstagram 95% · 11.6M interactionsX 3% · 397K interactionsTikTok 2% · 275.6K interactionsYouTube 0% · 1.9K interactions

Reach vs. reactions among athletes

Who gets seen, who gets a reaction

Up: how many times their posts were seen in 30 days. Right: how much they make people react, compared with an account of the same size.

Reactions vs. an account of the same size →

Favikon score v3 · data as of Oct 26, 2026 · 2× = twice as many reactions (likes, comments, shares) as a typical account of the same size, on the same platforms and in the same country · posts under 48 h excluded · 29 people not shown (fewer than 3 posts in 30 days)

Biggest climbers and fallers among athletes this month

Who's surging, who's stalling

Biggest gains · 7d

  1. AGArda GülerArda GülerInstagram+837K19.7M total
  2. YDYan DiomandeYan DiomandeInstagram+728K4.6M total
  3. YDYan DiomandeYan DiomandeTikTok+509.3K3.1M total
  4. DDDésiré DouéDésiré DouéInstagram+301.2K8.5M total
  5. KMKylian MbappéKylian MbappéInstagram+261.1K137.1M total

Biggest % gains · 7d

  1. YDYan DiomandeYan DiomandeTikTok+20.0%+509.3K
  2. YDYan DiomandeYan DiomandeInstagram+18.9%+728K
  3. ATAurélien TchouaméniAurélien TchouaméniLinkedIn+5.8%+2K
  4. AGArda GülerArda GülerInstagram+4.4%+837K
  5. DDDésiré DouéDésiré DouéInstagram+3.7%+301.2K

Declines and slowdowns

  1. KDKevin De BruyneKevin De BruyneTikTok+143.2Kvs. +722.7K before
  2. NJNeymar JrNeymar JrInstagram−466.6K7-day decline
  3. LYLamine YamalLamine YamalInstagram+76.7Kvs. +413K before
  4. CRCristiano RonaldoCristiano RonaldoInstagram−176.4K7-day decline
  5. EBErling Braut HaalandErling Braut HaalandInstagram−148.3K7-day decline

Followers counted on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads · % computed only for accounts with at least 20K followers, to filter out small accounts.

Leaders by platform among athletes: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn

Who rules each platform

How the Top 200 Athletes · Football has changed over time

Replay the ranking

Head-to-head matchups among athletes

The matchups

How the Favikon score works

The Favikon score measures online influence, not popularity or voting intention. Every day it combines four signals from the last 90 days: reach (average views per post), engagement (reactions, comments and shares per post), audience (followers) and consistency (how regularly an account posts). Each signal is compared with every account Favikon tracks on the same platform, then TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X and LinkedIn add up to one number. That is why someone strong on a single platform can be compared with someone present on all five. Read the full methodology →

Frequently asked questions

Who is the most influential athlete on social media?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most influential athlete on social media according to the Favikon Index Top 200 Athletes · Football, with a Favikon score of 9,999 points on Oct 27, 2026. Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal complete the top three. The ranking is recalculated every day.

How often is the Top 200 Athletes · Football updated?

The Favikon Index Top 200 Athletes · Football is updated every day. Tracked accounts are refreshed every six hours, and each Favikon score is recalculated daily from the posts of the last 90 days, so ranks and 30-day changes always reflect the latest data.

How is influence measured in the Top 200 Athletes · Football?

Influence in the Favikon Index Top 200 Athletes · Football is measured with the Favikon score, which combines reach (views per post), engagement (reactions per post), audience (followers) and posting consistency over the last 90 days. Each signal is compared with all accounts on the same platform. It is not a poll and not a follower count.

Which social media platforms are included?

The Favikon Index Top 200 Athletes · Football covers TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn, which all count toward the Favikon score. Facebook and Threads audiences are shown on profiles but are not part of the score. Platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, VK or Telegram are not covered.

Who is included in the Top 200 Athletes · Football?

Top-level athletes (pro, Olympic, top college), active or retired, known for their sport. France view: athletes who represent France. Personal accounts only. Club, team and federation accounts don't count.

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