Why Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi lose millions of Instagram followers
Table of Contents
 |
The sudden drop sparked confusion online, with many fans initially believing the football icons had been targeted by a mass unfollowing trend.
However, reports later revealed the decline was linked to Instagram's ongoing effort to remove bots, spam profiles and inactive accounts.
Key takeaways
- Ronaldo and Messi lost millions of Instagram followers after a Meta purge.
- The drops were linked to fake, spam and inactive account removals.
- Ronaldo remains Instagram’s most-followed person despite the decline.
Ronaldo still Instagram's biggest star
Despite the sharp decline, Ronaldo remains the most-followed person on Instagram by a considerable margin.The Al-Nassr forward reportedly lost between eight and 18 million followers during the clean-up, with his total dropping from around 684 million to approximately 666 million.
Ronaldo's Instagram account is one of the most commercially valuable on social media.
According to CNN, the Portuguese superstar earns an estimated $3.2 million to $3.43 million per sponsored post, making him the highest-paid celebrity on the platform.
The 40-year-old also continues to deliver on the pitch, having scored 25 goals in 27 Saudi Pro League appearances this season.
RECOMMENDED
Portugal PUMA Home Shirt 2026 - Ronaldo #7
Official jersey. Limited stock. Fast selling.
Wanted by thousands of Ronaldo fans
Get Yours →
Messi and other global celebrities also hit
Messi was also affected by the Instagram sweep, losing roughly five million followers as Meta intensified efforts to improve authenticity across the platform.The Inter Miami star reportedly dropped from around 512 million followers to 507 million.
Several other high-profile figures saw similar declines, including Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber, Virat Kohli and Dwayne Johnson.
Jenner was reportedly among the hardest hit, losing around 15 million followers overnight, whilst Kohli lost approximately two million.
Why Instagram removed millions of followers
Meta's clean-up operation focused on eliminating spam accounts, fake followers and inactive profiles that had accumulated across Instagram over time.Accounts with massive audiences tend to attract larger volumes of bots and inactive followers, meaning celebrities and global brands were disproportionately affected by the purge.
Whilst follower counts dropped sharply, many social media analysts believe the move will ultimately improve engagement quality and provide more accurate audience data for advertisers and sponsorship deals.
For celebrities, athletes and influencers who rely heavily on brand partnerships, authentic engagement metrics are increasingly important.
Instagram yet to comment
Despite widespread discussion online, Instagram has not issued an official public statement regarding the large-scale follower reduction.Even after the purge, Ronaldo and Messi remain two of the most influential figures on social media worldwide, with follower counts still comfortably above hundreds of millions.
Post a Comment