Lionel Messi hits Instagram landmark, becomes second person after Cristiano Ronaldo to reach 500 million followers

Lionel Messi reached yet another milestone in his glittering career as he became just the second person to reach 500 million followers on Instagram. The Argentine superstar joined long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, with the pair being the only two people to reach that mark.

The Portuguese superstar is currently at 622 million followes. Behind Messi are the likes of Selena Gomez (429 million), Kylie Jenner (400 million) and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson (397 million).

According to business outlet Sportico, 20% of the app's 2.5 billion active base currently follows Messi. He has established himself as one of the biggest stars not only in football but in all of sports following his move to Inter Miami in the MLS in the summer of 2023. He has more followers than all the teams in the five major sports leagues in America (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS).

The report also provided an insight into the type of followers the 36-year-old has. It claims that 72% of his followers are male. Most of his followers are from Brazil (12%), closely followed by India (8.1%), Argentina (6.5%) and the US (6.2%).

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's starts to the 2024 calendar year analyzed

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both enjoyed good starts to the 2024 calendar year.

In his first full season with Saudi Pro League Al-Nassr, the Portuguese superstar has so far taken his side to second place in the table behind leaders Al-Hilal. He has four goals this year, scoring twice in the league and twice in the Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League to book a quarterfinal spot. They will face UAE side Al Ain in the last eight.

However, it has not been all positive news as he is reportedly under investigation by the Saudi Pro League. He was caught on camera making an obscene gesture in their 3-2 win over Al-Shabab. Ronaldo could miss some key upcoming games, putting the side's title charge in peril.

Messi, meanwhile, has overcome a difficult pre-season with Inter Miami that saw the side initially struggle to win a game. He also received massive backlash after sitting on the bench for the side's game in Hong Kong.

However, he has put that behind him, leading Inter Miami to a strong start in their 2024 MLS campaign. They opened with a win against Real Salt Lake where he had an assist, before scoring a 92nd minute equalizer against LA Galaxy in their second match.