Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is a marketing juggernaut and has made his way to
the top of Instagram’s yearly rich list, which ranks celebritites who can charge the most
for sponsored posts. Ronaldo can command as much as $1.6 million (£1.2 million) per post to endorse a product on the social media platform.
With this, the 36-year-old champion footballer from Portugal
and Juventus has replaced former WWE superstar and Hollywood sensation Dwayne ‘the
Rock’ Johnson at the top spot.
This is the first time that someone other than reality TV,
film and music stars from the United States has topped the list which started
in 2017.
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Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has 308 million followers
on Instagram.
Johnson, the star of Hollywood film franchise Fast and
Furious, who has slipped to the second spot now, has 250 million followers and
can command $1.52 million (£1 million). Pop star Ariana Grande is placed third
on the list and can command $1.51 million per sponsored post.
Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, whose contract with
Barcelona ended on July 1, is the only other sportsperson in the list’s top
ten. Messi, with 224 million followers, is placed seventh on the list and can charge
up to $1.1 million.
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Others in the top 10 are: Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, Kim
Kardashian, Beyonce, Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner
Following Messi, Brazil and Paris St-Germain forward Neymar
is the next highest-placed athlete on the list coming in at the 16th spot.
The Instagram rich list is published every year by UK-based
company Hopper HQ.