The most followed footballers on Twitter

Wayne Rooney (England/Manchester United – 7.3 million) [@WayneRooney]

The only Englishman in the list and the only non-Spanish European footballer on this list. Rooney is enjoying a renewed season so far under new manager David Moyes, but sadly his team on the whole seems to be marooned on a distant island.

Rooney frequently engages his fans (not all of them are friendly; remember the challenge to a fight?). He also presents plenty of unsolicited opinions on happenings in the world of sport and is a big fan of video games and posts updates every time he’s gaming with friends. There’s also the sponsor plug every now and then for Nike.