Messi vs Ronaldo shifts to battleground Instagram; will Argentina's World Cup hero overtake arch rival?

Since Argentina's World Cup 2022 success, Lionel Messi sponsors are clamouring for paid partnerships with the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star earning over 9 million pounds. In contrast, arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo has not posted a single paid partnership since Portugal's shock exit.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Following Argentina's World Cup 2022 victory in Qatar, football star Lionel Messi stands to gain millions from sponsored Instagram postings, and he may even surpass his fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi's official Instagram account, which has 414 million followers, has promoted Budweiser beer, Call of Duty and eFootball video games, energy drink Gatorade, cryptocurrency exchange Bitget, and the artificial eyewear company Orcam since he won the coveted trophy on December 18.

Image Credit: Lionel Messi Instagram

Messi has earned over 9 million pounds since Argentina's third World Cup glory in the Gulf Nation, so his sponsors are clamouring for compensated agreements to capitalise on his success at the showpiece event. In comparison, Ronaldo has yet to share a single advertisement with his 528 million Instagram followers since Portugal was eliminated from the World Cup on December 10 by the underdogs Morocco.

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As per Sports Instagram Rich List 2022, former Manchester United star Ronaldo earned 2 million pounds per post, while the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star earned 1.5 million pounds. Indian cricketer Virat Kohli stood at 3rd with earnings of 902,000 pounds per post, followed by Brazilian star Neymar at 784,000 pounds, and LeBron James at 545,000 pounds.

The Portuguese talisman's dismal World Cup show could affect his status as Instagram's top-earning celebrity, with the Argentinian legend poised to overtake him. However, Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr could see the 37-year-old striker win new sponsorship deals as he looks to stamp his authority in Asia after sweeping Europe with several titles and accolades.

Messi created Instagram history when a picture of him lifting the Qatar World Cup 2022 became the most-liked post ever. Since it was posted on December 18, it has received more than 75 million likes, surpassing a photo of an egg shared in 2019 by British advertising executive Chris Godfrey. A later post of the Argentinian superstar in bed with the coveted trophy after the team returned home gained over 50 million likes.

Image credit: Cristiano Ronaldo/Facebook

Messi has endorsement deals with brands, including Louis Vuitton, Socios.com, Adidas, PepsiCo, Socios.com, and Sorare. In fact, before the World Cup in Qatar, the PSG star and Ronaldo were photographed playing chess together for a paid partnership with Louis Vuitton.

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Ronaldo has surpassed basketball icons LeBron James and Messi to become the highest-paid athlete in the world of the sport thanks to his lucrative deal with Al-Nassr, which is said to be around 175 million pounds. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, earns 103.4 million pounds annually, but this will be dwarfed by the Portuguese talisman's new salary, not to mention his off-field sponsorships. Only time will tell if the G.O.A.T. debate, which has been raging on for decades, will soon move to battleground Instagram.