Top 10 football players with the most fans in the world

#7 Gareth Bale - Real Madrid

Total followers - 88.5 million

Gareth Bale remains hugely popular despite the lack of playtime at Real Madrid.

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale shot to fame in the summer of 2013 when the Spanish giants broke the transfer fee record for the Welshman. For the first few seasons, he lived up to his hefty price tag and impressed with his stunning performances and racked up a lot of trophies.

Gareth Bale for Real Madrid:Won more trophies than Zidane 🏆Provided more assists than Beckham 🎯Scored more goals than Ronaldo Nazario ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/uTu4rOEmgZ

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 16, 2020

Though he is currently out of favour with Zinedine Zidane, he's still got his skills and continues to display them for his national team. He's been linked with a move back to the Premier League with his former employers Tottenham Hotspur and if he can succeed there he'll probably pick up a few more fans online.

Here's how his 88.5 million fans are distributed across social media -

Facebook - 27 million likes

Twitter - 18.4 million followers

Instagram - 43.1 million followers

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#6 James Rodriguez - Everton

Total followers - 96.5 million

James Rodriguez impressed in his debut for Everton.

It seems signing for Real Madrid is a sure-shot way of ensuring visibility on social media as yet another former Los Blancos star in James Rodriguez makes it onto the list.

The Columbian midfielder had spent half of his spell with the reigning La Liga champions on loan spells and it made sense that he finally secured a permanent move to Everton this summer.

His popularity across social media skyrocketed following his eye-catching performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the subsequent move to clubs like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich only added to his fanbase.

Here's how his 96.5 million fans are distributed across social media -

Facebook - 31.6 million likes

Twitter - 18.7 million followers

Instagram - 46.2 million followers

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#5 Ronaldinho

Total followers - 105.4 million

The Best FIFA Football Awards - Green Carpet Arrivals

Ronaldinho is first of the two retired footballers in our list and the very fact that he remains the fifth-most followed football personality in the world, five years after he hung up his boots is a testament to his likeability, legacy and of course the kind of content he generates online.

He always approached the game with a smile on his face and enjoyed every minute of it and it's because of his passion and love for the game that he has a special place among football icons.

He was recently arrested in Paraguay over the alleged use of fake passports and though he has since been released that might've tarnished his image a little bit.

Here's how his 105.4 million fans are distributed across social media -

Facebook - 34.1 million likes

Twitter - 19.5 million followers

Instagram - 51.8 million followers

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#4 David Beckham

Total followers - 115.4 million

David Beckham was probably football's first global brand.

The second retired footballer in our list is none other than David Beckham, who has made a seamless transition into a successful entrepreneur and public figure after bidding adieu to his career as a professional footballer in 2013.

With all the glamour that now surrounds him, it's easy to discount his abilities as a footballer. Even during his playing days he was never shy in front of the cameras and became a household name across the world with his trademark free-kicks. His physics-defying free-kicks even inspired a movie called Bend It Like Beckham in 2002.

The former Manchester United man could've had even more followers online if he had a Twitter account but that wouldn't have mattered because he still would've been at No.4 in this list as the top three are in a league of their own.

Here's how his 115.4 million fans are distributed across the social media -

Facebook - 51.1 million likes

Instagram - 64.3 million followers

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Also See: How Real Madrid could line up in the 2020-21 season