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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>Argentine icon hits half-a-billion followers</li><li>Portuguese rival boast 622m</li><li>History being made on &amp; off the field</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

Lionel Messi is an Instagram king! Inter Miami superstar becomes only second person to reach 500m followers - but he's still way behind Cristiano Ronaldo

AFC Champions League Elite

Al Nassr FC

Al-Ain

Major League Soccer

Inter Miami CF

Atlanta United

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who continues to make history on the field, reached another notable landmark off the pitch when <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/enthuellt-so-viel-verdienen-cristiano-ronaldo-und-lionel-messi-an-fake-followern-bei-instagram/bltb3e1adaaaf6a925b" target="_blank">hitting half-a-billion followers on his social media channel of choice</a>. He is just the second person on the planet to achieve that feat.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Eternal rival Ronaldo was the first, with the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/ronaldo-first-person-400m-instagram-followers-man-utd/blt4084bd5158410743" target="_blank">Portuguese icon topping the charts</a> by some distance on 622m. Musician and actress Selena Gomez ranks third (429m), followed by Kylie Jenner (400m) and Hollywood film star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (397m).

THE BIGGER PICTURE

According to <a href="https://www.sportico.com/personalities/athletes/2024/lionel-messi-instagram-500m-ronaldo-1234767477/" target="_blank">Sportico</a>, Messi is now followed by 20 per cent of the 2.5 billion monthly active user base on Instagram. He has <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/lionel-messi-tickets-more-in-demand-any-nfl-team-prices-soar-over-3000-mls-inter-miami-debut-new-york/blt143c1331e86cd279" target="_blank">more followers than all current NFL players combined</a> and tops the cumulative total of the 154 teams in the five major sports leagues in America.

DID YOU KNOW?

Messi’s fan base exploded on the back of his <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/watch-messi-lifts-world-cup-trophy-argentina-thrilling-penalty-shootout-france-goat/blt38b30d6ba3692fc1" target="_blank">2022 World Cup triumph with Argentina</a>, while he now boasts a new legion of supporters following a move to the United States that has seen him link up with MLS side Inter Miami. His following is predominately male (72%), while Brazil is his top country for followers at 12% - followed by India (8.1%), Argentina (6.5%) and the U.S. (6.2%).

WHAT NEXT?

Lionel Messi is an Instagram king! Inter Miami superstar becomes only second person to reach 500m followers - but he's still way behind Cristiano Ronaldo | Goal.com Nigeria

Lionel Messi has cemented his status as an Instagram king, passing the 500 million follower mark, but he is still a long way behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi is an Instagram king! Inter Miami superstar becomes only second person to reach 500m followers - but he&apos;s still way behind Cristiano Ronaldo