Cristiano Ronaldo's lost his blue tick! Al-Nassr star - who has over 108 million Twitter followers - no longer verified as Elon Musk's purge begins

• Ronaldo has 108.3M followers
• Portugal star has lost blue tick
• Part of Musk's new strategy

WHAT HAPPENED? Despite boasting a whopping 108.3 million followers, the Portugal star is now without the verification stamp next to his profile name. Ronaldo is one of several famous names to be on the receiving end of Musk's new strategy, which has removed the so-called "legacy" checks and will now force users to pay for the privileged as part of the new 'Twitter Blue' scheme.

⚽ Cristiano Ronaldo's career goalscoring stats

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Twitter

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The move is thought to have come about amid controversy over those who were allowed access to the verification mark, as well as to aid the company's financial situation through a paid scheme. It has raised a few eyebrows, though, with Manchester City star Aymeric Laporte writing: "Damn Elon what did u do lol"

WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO? The Portuguese forward is yet to comment on the move himself and it is unclear whether he will be granted blue tick in the near future, or be forced to pay for the privilege. Indeed, it's been reported that Musk himself paid for some celebrity users to keep their blue ticks, including NBA legend LeBron James, although Ronaldo seemingly missed out!