Ahead of Saturday’s clash at the Bernabeu, visitors Barcelona hold an 11 point lead in the La Liga table, however research by ESPN FC and KPGM’s Football Benchmark group over the last six months has found hosts Real Madrid have a clear advantage in the “social media Clasico.”
Who are the most followed players?
Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed player from either side, but is also the world’s most followed footballer and most followed athlete in any sport. He reaches a total of 305.4 million followers across Facebook (122.6 million), Twitter (65.8m) and Instagram (117m), who get regular glimpses into his personal life as well marketing for his many products.
Long-term rival Lionel Messi doesn’t match up. He has just over half the total followers of Ronaldo (173.9m), with a lower presence on Facebook (89.4m) and Instagram (84.5m). Messi doesn’t even have a personal Twitter account, while the Adidas-run @teammessi account has just 2.36m followers.
Source:ESPN
