It’s not just the influenzas and travel bloggers making big bucks on the ‘Gram these days. If you’ve got celebrity status, chances are you’re got a following by default.
Professional athletes are some of the heavy hitters among these accidental influencers that have stacked up some serious audience numbers since the platform’s inception, and naturally, they’re cashing in – big time.
Social media specialist Hopper HQ has poured over the analytics and released a list of the top-earning athletes based on the amount they charge per post on the platform.
It’s no surprise Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo clocks in at number one, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner boasting over 182 million followers. It’s estimated the Portuguese footballer earns almost $1 million USD per post.
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The top 10 is dominated by football stars, with the likes of PSG’s Neymar Jr ($722,000 USD per post) and Argentinian deity Lionel Messi ($648,000 USD per post) both pocketing hundreds of thousands at the top end of the spectrum.
Other athletes to feature include LeBron James ($272,000 USD per post), Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli ($196,000 USD per post), controversial MMA fighter Conor McGregor ($169,000 USD per post) and Egyptian football king Mohamed Salah ($165,000 USD per post).
Check out the full list of athletes below, including the number of followers they have and how much they earn per post.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Football), 182 million, $975,000 USD
2. Neymar Jr. (Football), 123 million, $722,000 USD
3. Lionel Messi (Football), 126.5 million, $648,000 USD
4. David Beckham (Football), 57.5 million, $357,000 USD
5. LeBron James (Basketball), 50.7 million, $272,000 USD
6. Ronaldinho (Football), 47 million, $256,000 USD
7. Gareth Bale (Football), 40.5 million, $218,000 USD
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Football), 36.8 million, $200,000 USD
9. Virat Kohli (Cricket), 36 million, $196,000 USD
10. Luis Suarez (Football), 33.8 million, $184,000 USD
11. Conor McGregor (MMA), 39 million, $169,000 USD
12. Mohamed Salah, (Football), 30.5 million, $165,000 USD
13. Stephen Curry (Basketball), 26 million, $142,000 USD
14. Floyd Mayweather (Boxing), 22.7 million, $124,000 USD
15. Ronda Rousey (WWE), 12.5 million, $67,000 USD
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