In second place is Ronaldo, who received 39,600 of 16,477,020 posts in the last 12 months. Messi closely follows him, with 39,220 of 17,243,280 posts referring to him as washed out.
In the world of football, few rivalries spark as much passion—and polarisation—like that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But beyond the pitch, where their records and accolades speak volumes, another battle rages on: the relentless trolling each endures on social media. A new report has revealed the big-name athletes who are getting labelled as “washed” or “cooked” the most on social media.
According to the report by Action Network, Cristiano Ronaldo is at second position after NBA star LeBron James, and closely followed by Lionel Messi. The report was compiled based on social media activity from March 1, 2024 to March 1, 2025. As many as 88.3 million social media posts across X, Instagram, and Reddit were analysed to determine which of 100 top athletes (from LeBron and Ronaldo to Aaron Rodgers and Conor McGregor) were most frequently labelled 'washed' or 'cooked.'
Out of 17,183,280 posts mentioning LeBron James, 68,080 mention him as washed or cooked. In second place is Ronaldo, who received 39,600 of 16,477,020 posts in the last 12 months. Messi closely follows him, with 39,220 of 17,243,280 posts referring to him as washed out.
Memes galore
After a heated match against Al Hilal, where Cristiano Ronaldo was seen putting an opponent in a headlock, the Saudi club’s social media team took a playful jab by posting a TikTok likening him to WWE icon John Cena. The clip featured Ronaldo’s wrestling-style move set to Cena’s entrance music. Recently, several football fans, including that of Ronaldo’s current club Al Nassr, flooded social media after their team won 9-0 over Al-Okhdood in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence.
Similarly, fans did not miss the chance to have a swipe at Lionel Messi after Inter Miami’s 5-2 loss to Atlanta United. In a cheeky social media post, Atlanta United took a playful jab by referencing Messi’s rumored favorite pizza—topped with tomatoes, onions, and olives—implying that they’d opted for the same dish on their way home, serving up a slice of trolling aimed squarely at the Argentine star.
Other prominent names
The list also features the names of several other prominent football players, such as Casemiro, Neymar, İlkay Gündoğan, Kyle Walker and Christian Eriksen.