Fresh reports and data have confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo apparently earns more from Instagram than he does from playing soccer for Juventus.
The 34-year-old pockets an annual $47.8 million from paid Instagram posts, according to a study by social media firm Hopper HQ on Buzz Bingo. In contrast, his salary at Juventus is reportedly $34 million, according to Goal.com.
Ronaldo’s reported income from Instagram makes him the platform’s highest earner, ahead of Lionel Messi and Kylie Jenner.
Receiving a reported average of $975,000 per advertised post, Ronaldo’s Instagram earnings far eclipse the world’s biggest celebrities, including Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Emily Ratajkowski.
He also beats footballing rival Lionel Messi, who is said to have earned less than half of Ronaldo’s total with $23.3 million.
Amongst the brands Ronaldo has represented on Instagram are Clear Haircare, Nike Football, and Six Pad Europe.
“Ronaldo is the most followed human on Instagram (with 186 million followers) so companies are paying almost $1 million for posts to access his insane reach.
Due to his status as a celebrity and football star, his earnings from Instagram break away from typical influencer partnerships, as many of his promotional posts will be part of wider sponsorship deals, such as Nike.
You only need to go on his Instagram to see how many paid partnerships he does outside of the sports market” Hopper HQ marketing executive Nicola Cronin told Business Insider.
