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#4 David Beckham — $362,000
Perhaps David Beckham was the first-ever player to be a brand in himself. A combination of handsome face, striking personality, superior football talent and the gentleman's image helped David Beckham achieve massive fame.
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He was often used as the face of the club. Manchester United endorsed the club in Asian countries with Beckham as the face of their campaign to achieve more reach. His celebrity status amplified due to his relationship with pop star Victoria and his signing for Real Madrid.
While all this happened in the pre-Instagram era, David Beckham remains a popular figure even after retirement. The former England player boasts 69.4 million followers and earns a whopping $362,000 per post.
#3 Neymar Junior — $824,000
Neymar Junior can be described as one of the most fashionable and whacky sports celebrities ever. He is known to be a style icon and is vastly looked upon by youngsters all around the world.
After creating wonders at Santos, Neymar was signed by Barcelona in 2013. Alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar wreaked havoc in Europe. The Brazilian then moved to PSG in 2017 for a world record fee of €222 million.
He is one of the most popular footballers to have ever graced the game. Neymar is an ambassador for numerous brands and is one of the highest earning sports personalities. Neymar has 165 million Instagram followers.
#2 Lionel Messi — $1,169,000
Lionel Messi is one of the most followed personalities on Instagram. He has 282 million followers and the Argentine captain earns $1,169,000 per post.
After his shocking move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, Lionel Messi made headlines for a brief period. The same resulted in the former Barca striker's fame touching new heights. Messi is a complete family man and his Instagram account reflects the same.
Leo Messi is an active user of the social media platform and posts regularly about his training and family life. Leo Messi's training videos receive high engagement, and he enjoys an average of 7m to 9m likes per post.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is one of the highest earning sports stars in the world.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo — $1,604,000
The intense battle between Cristiano and Messi continues on Instagram as well. With 366 million followers, Cristiano Ronaldo owns the most followed Instagram individual account.
An epitome of fitness and youthfulness, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to inspire the masses and earns a massive fan following in return. The Portuguese captain's reputation goes far beyond football and crosses all barriers. He is arguably considered the most famous human alive.
With such reputation comes great returns and the former Real Madrid man earns the most in terms of money per Instagram post. Cristiano Ronaldo's Instagram feed is a combination of training videos, brand endorsements and family pictures.
Ronaldo's Instagram post, in which he announced his partner's pregnancy, is the second most liked post on Instagram. The post hit 31.8 million likes and is still counting.
Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the only player in the history of football whose brand value exceeds that of any club.
