After becoming the first men’s player in history to score 900 goals in official matches in Portugal’s 2-1 UEFA Nations League win against Croatia in Lisbon a week ago, Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved another milestone in his stellar career.
The Portuguese star has now reached one billion followers across social media platforms – Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.
With this historic number, Ronaldo further cements his place as the most followed person on social media.
It would be recalled that within seven days of launching his YouTube channel, UR Cristiano, on August 21, it hit 50 million subscribers; and is now closing in on half a billion total views.
A breakdown of his social media accounts shows that the Portugal star has over 113 million followers on X, 60.5 million subscribers on YouTube, 639 million Instagram followers and 170 million followers on Facebook.
To put it in context, Ronaldo’s total number of followers on social media almost matches the total population of North and South America (1.02 billion), is about a quarter of a billion more than the total population of Europe (44 countries); and about 500,000 short of the total population of Africa’s 54 countries.
Announcing the milestone on Thursday night with a photo captioned, “A Billion Dreams, One Journey,” the 39-year-old, who plays for Saudi Pro League club, Al Nassr, wrote on X: “We’ve made history — 1 Billion followers! This is more than just a number – it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond.
“From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together. You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows.
“This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve. Thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life. The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner – only surpassed by Lionel Messi’s haul (8), has also scored 132 goals for Portugal, extending his record for most international goals in world football.
