CELEBRITY
CRISTIANO RONALDO EARNS £14M MORE FROM INSTAGRAM THAN HE DOES FROM JUVENTUS
According to the The Sun of UK, Cristiano Ronaldo is Instagram’s top earner after raking in £14million MORE from his posts than he does playing for Juventus.
Quoting from reports from Buzz Bingo, the newspaper reports that the Portuguese superstar has retained his crown as the social media site’s highest earner.
The 35-year-old, who also has the most followers on Instagram at 222m, raked in £41.7m from 43 sponsored posts in the past 12 months.
In comparison, Ronaldo was making £27.3m from his salary at Juventus, before any coronavirus-related pay cuts.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner saw an increase of £3.5m from his Instagram earnings in 2019 by pocketing an average £971,000 per sponsored post.
Over the past year he promoted Nike, his fragrance CR7 Play it Cool and even an EMS training device called ‘Sixpad’.
Ronaldo’s longstanding rival Lionel Messi was beaten into second spot after his sponsored posts collected a total of £25.2m, or £631,000 every time he made one.
The Barcelona captain has money-making partnerships with adidas and regularly posts pictures of his globe-trotting lifestyle.
Model Kendall Jenner was the higher female Insta earner on the planet in 2020.
She banked a total of £21.2m over the year – despite charging less than HALF each sponsored post than her reality star sister Kylie.
The American had one of the highest number of advertised uploads in the past year with 38 as she banked an average £560k for featuring underwear brands such as Calvin Klein and skincare Proactiv.
Her younger sister Kylie, whose lucrative earnings from her cosmetic brand means she can command up to £1.2m per post, ultimately made slightly less at £16.2m.
India’s national cricket team captain Virat Kohli, who charges a comparatively low £232,000, made the top five due to the fact that he has the most sponsored posts of all celebrities at 56.
David Beckham was once again the highest-paid British star on the rich list for his posts to his 63m followers.
The 45-year-old is such a hit on the social media platform he scooped a whopping £9.6m despite retiring over seven years ago.
Some of his paid Instagram partnerships included posts for Tudor Watch, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Kent & Curwen.
In a list dominated by athletes, Neymar is the fifth-highest sportsman after netting £6.7m from the social media site this year with a reported average of £617,000 per paid post.
Interestingly Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has the second most sponsored posts of all celebrities at 47, four above Ronaldo.
Yet the Poland international’s lack of off-field exposure means he can only fetch around £76k per post and made just £3.58m for his troubles this year.
And despite being considered one of football’s most marketable stars, Manchester United star Paul Pogba is ninth on Instagram’s highest-earning athletes.
The Frenchman, who has a £290,000-a-week wage packet at Old Trafford, can make an additional £181k per sponsored post and scored £1.8m this year.
That was enough to see Pogba finish just above former Chelsea star Eden Hazard.
The £400k-a-week Belgian captain made £1.4m this year following his £122k fee for advertising to fans on social media.
The legacy of Brazilian football legend Pelé has taken a new turn after Neymar Santos Sr, father of Brazil star Neymar Jr, confirmed the acquisition of the commercial rights to Pelé’s name and image through his agency, NR Sports.
Speaking at the Pelé Museum in Santos, Brazil, Neymar Sr said the deal marks a new chapter for one of the most iconic brands in global sport.
“We are proud. I think it’s a very strong brand. We want to strengthen its identity and adapt it to the current era,” he said, describing the project as deeply emotional and nationally significant.
Although financial details were not officially disclosed, Brazilian media estimate the acquisition at around $18 million. The rights had previously belonged to US-based company Sport 10, which many in Brazil accused of underdeveloping a national treasure.
A ‘Repatriation’ of Pelé’s Legacy
NR Sports described the agreement as a “repatriation” of Pelé’s brand—bringing back to Brazil “one of the greatest symbols in the history of world sport.”
Pelé’s daughter, Flavia, attended the announcement and welcomed the move, saying the family had tried—and failed—to reacquire the rights after Pelé’s death in 2022.
“There are no words to describe the emotion of bringing back a brand that embodies soul, humanity, and love. It’s priceless,” she told AFP.
The unveiling was accompanied by an emotional tribute at the Pelé Museum, which erected a massive green screen with Pelé’s iconic logo. A video shared on Pelé’s and NR Sports’ official accounts celebrated the “universal language” of Brazilian football, showing some of the King’s most memorable goals from his World Cup triumphs in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Neymar Jr: ‘Pelé Was Born to Change Everything’
Neymar Jr, who recently returned to Pelé’s former club Santos and has surpassed the King as Brazil’s all-time top scorer, featured in a promotional video congratulating his father’s company.
“Some are born to play, others are born to change the game. Pelé was born to change everything,” the 33-year-old forward said. “Pelé never stopped being one of us, and now he is officially part of Brazil, again and forever.”
A New Era for an Underused Global Brand
For years, Pelé’s image rights were more prominently exploited abroad than at home—a situation that drew criticism from the family and Brazilian football circles. The new deal is expected to revitalise the Pelé brand through modern marketing, partnerships, and heritage initiatives anchored in Brazil.
“This is the beginning of a motivating project for us. We are very moved,” Neymar Sr added.
Pelé, who died in December 2022 at age 82, remains an enduring symbol in Santos, São Paulo state, where he played from 1956 to 1974 and where thousands still visit his mausoleum.
With the rights now back in Brazilian hands, NR Sports says the goal is clear: preserve, expand, and enrich the legacy of the King of Football for generations to come.
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Lionel Messi expressed his wish to one day return to Barcelona’s Camp Nou on Monday, having made a brief visit to see the newly revamped stadium where he spent 21 years of his illustrious career.
The 38-year-old Argentine World Cup winner, who joined Barca’s youth academy at age 13 and went on to become the club’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances, left the Catalan side in 2021 when they could not make it financially viable to keep him.
Having won 10 LaLiga titles, four Champions League crowns and three Club World Cups with Barca, Messi now plays for Inter Miami after two years with Paris St Germain.
Barca reopened the Camp Nou on Friday, 895 days after its closure, unveiling a revamped stadium by staging an open training session attended by 21,795 fans.
“Last night, I returned to a place that I miss with all my heart. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world,” the eight-times Ballon d’Or winner wrote on Instagram on Monday.
“I hope that one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do.”
Messi extended his contract with Inter Miami in October, and has previously said that the Major League Soccer club would likely be his last.
“You’re always welcome at your home, Leo,” Barca posted on X.
-Reuters
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Argentina has paid a powerful tribute to its greatest football icon, Diego Armando Maradona, by unveiling a special commemorative silver coin celebrating both the late legend’s 65th birthday and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The coin, released on October 30 — the date that would have marked Maradona’s 65th birthday — honours his unforgettable solo goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, often described as “the goal of the century.”
The Central Bank of Argentina announced that the limited-edition coin features a football motif on one side, while the reverse captures Maradona’s legendary dribble from his own half, past five English defenders, before coolly slotting the ball home in Mexico City.
That match, etched in global memory, also produced another of football’s most talked-about moments — the “Hand of God” goal, scored just minutes earlier. Together, those two goals defined not only a game but an era, as Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, their second in history.
“This coin immortalizes a symbol of Argentine pride — a goal that transcended sport to become a moment of national identity,” said the Central Bank in a statement.
The release is also timed to build excitement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada — marking 40 years since Maradona’s most celebrated tournament.
Maradona, who passed away in 2020, remains one of football’s most revered figures. His blend of artistry, audacity, and passion continues to inspire generations of players and fans alike.
Across Argentina, tributes poured in from fans, clubs, and former teammates, with many visiting murals, statues, and shrines dedicated to the No.10. In Buenos Aires, street musicians played “Live is Life” — the anthem that once accompanied Maradona’s famous pre-match warm-up routine at Napoli — as a reminder of his enduring magic.
For Argentina, this special-edition coin is more than a collector’s item; it is a national homage to an eternal legend, a man whose left foot and spirit still define the heartbeat of Argentine football.
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