With 53 goals Ronaldo is the 2023 King of Goals and also the King of Instagram
Even at the ripe old age of 38, Cristiano Ronaldo is still a goal machine with the Portuguese striker bagging two goals from the spot as his Al Nassr side eclipsed Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad in Jeddah.
With his brace as part of the 2-5 win in the Roshn Saudi League clash, the player from Madeira leapfrogged both Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane who led the way with 52 goals a piece. Cristiano now moves to 53 strikes in 2023 with Al Nassr still set to play one final Saudi Pro League game in the year as they face Al-Taawoun away on 30 December.
Neither Bayern Munich nor PSG are in action until the new year which means that neither Kane nor Mbappe can catch the Al Nassr striker. However, Manchester City have a game against lowly Sheffield United on 30 December in the Premier League.
Haaland on 50 goals for 2023 however may not be available for the matches with the Norwegian still recovering from a foot injury that saw him miss both of City’s games in the recent FIFA Club World Cup.
2023 top scorers
1) Cristiano Ronaldo: Al Nassr
2) Harry Kane: Bayern Munich
3) Kylian Mbappe: PSG
4) Erling Haaland: Man City
5) Garbhan Coughlan: Cashmere Technical
Though, Jude Bellingham surpasses Mbappé, but Ronaldo is still the player with the most new followers in 2023
Sold to Real Madrid, Endrick is also a highlight, ranking 24th on the list of players with the most new followers on Instagram
With 13 goals in 16 La Liga games and 4 goals in 5 Champions League games, English midfielder Jude Bellingham, from Real Madrid, is the newest star in international football. His 18.8 million new followers on Instagram are proof of this, making Bellingham the 3rd player with the newest followers on the platform – ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and even Manchester City star Erling Haaland.
Despite Bellingham’s prominence in the world of football, these 18.8 million new followers represent only 1/5 of what Cristiano Ronaldo garnered on his official account. The Portuguese star, despite playing in Saudi Arabia – theoretically, a less relevant market in the sports industry -, gained 88.8 million new followers on Instagram.
In second place in the ranking is another ET from the world of football: Lionel Messi. The Argentine, who also moved to a peripheral center – in this case, the United States, to play for Inter Miami CF -, accumulated 83 million new followers on his official profile, with a wide advantage over the new generation.
If we have already highlighted Jude Bellingham and his performance, we can also notice the new stars gaining ground on social media.
Vinicius Junior, one of Real Madrid’s biggest stars and main activist against racism in football gained 15.4 million new followers, ranking 6th. Haaland is 7th; Julian Alvarez, world champion for Argentina and Manchester City, is 13th; Rodrygo (Real Madrid), 15th; João Felix (Barcelona), 17th; and Camavinga (Real Madrid), 18th.
Outside the Top20 – but already attracting attention due to his performance – is Palmeiras’ Endrick, already sold to Real Madrid. The 17-year-old – who helped Palmeiras win the Brazilian championship this season, scoring 11 goals – accumulated 3.77 million new followers, ranking 24th at the end of 2023. A performance similar to that of Phil Foden, of Manchester City and the England National Team, which had 3.69 million new followers.
Sergio Ramos, who returned to Sevilla after a season at PSG, is in 10th position, with 7.68 million new followers. Marcelo, who returned to Fluminense to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time, ends 2023 in 14th, with 5.87 million. Isco, from Betis-SPA, in turn, gained 4.46 million new users and ranks in 20th position.
