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#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 52.1 million followers
Well, football's not like boxing or professional wrestling. Players mostly just walk the walk. But that's not a rule and there are plenty of exceptions with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the most high-profile of all. He calls himself a lion and cuts promos that can put Chuck Norris jokes to shame.
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We let him get away with it because Zlatan is Zlatan and he's 40 years old now but continues to be a phenomenal striker.
#4 Kylian Mbappe - 65.8 million followers
Kylian Mbappe is the crown prince of football. He is widely regarded as the heir apparent to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Mbappe is still only 23 years old but has already had an illustrious career. He is also one of the best forwards of the 21st century and is quite simply a phenomenal footballer.
#3 Neymar Jr. - 169.9 million followers
Neymar Jr. is one of the most recognizable faces in the world of football. He took the world by storm with his bag of tricks and incredible levels of creativity during his time with Brazilian club Santos.
Neymar then joined Barcelona, where he formed the deadliest attacking trio of the 21st century alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
The Brazilian international, who turned 30 a few days ago, is currently at PSG. He is a perfect example of a player who is either adored or hated but never ignored.
#2 Lionel Messi - 306.3 million followers
With a record seven Ballons d'Ors in his kitty, Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. He left his childhood club Barcelona last summer to join Paris Saint-Germain. It hasn't been smooth sailing for Messi so far in France but the kind of otherworldly qualities he has will shine through eventually.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 400.5 million followers
Cristiano Ronaldo turned 37 a few days ago. But he is still one of the best strikers in the game. Ronaldo's career has always been about passion, grit and determination. He has worked hard for everything he has got and he is someone who will give his all to win.
Ronaldo is also extremely popular with kids and fans and he always takes time out to sign autographs or pose with photos whenever there is an opportunity. He has also been eminently marketable thanks to being consistently relevant throughout his career.
It has gone a long way towards making him the most followed person on Instagram.
