Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo recently garnered nearly 58,9 million likes combined on Instagram from just hai posts, underscoring their immense global influence. This demonstrates their continued rivalry extends beyond the pitch, particularly on social media, where their reach is unparalleled.
The latest social media buzz comes from two distinct events: Messi's surprise visit to Camp Nou and Ronaldo's meeting with former United States President Donald Trump at the White House.
Messi surprised fans and the football world by posting photos of his visit to the newly renovated Camp Nou. This quick stop occurred while he was en route to join the national team in Alicante, Spain, to head to Barcelona.
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Messi's Instagram post about his surprise visit to Camp Nou. Screenshot |
The five photos and a short video posted by Messi quickly went viral, accumulating over 33,15 million likes on Instagram in less than two weeks. All current Barcelona players reportedly liked the post, attesting to the immense appeal of the Rosario-born star.
The post even inspired other clubs, such as Germany's Cologne and the Czech Republic's Slavia Praha, to create humorous, "trending" edits showing the 1987-born player visiting their stadiums.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently expressed intentions to erect a statue of Messi outside the new stadium once it is completed. During Barcelona's first match back at Camp Nou on 22/11 against Athletic Bilbao, fans chanted Messi's name in the 10th minute.
Just days after Messi's viral photos, Ronaldo became the focus of social media attention. CR7 was invited by former United States President Donald Trump to the White House for a long-desired meeting. In a prior interview with British TV host Piers Morgan, Ronaldo had shared his desire to meet Donald Trump in the near future to discuss various issues, including world peace. His visit to the Oval Office on 20/11 fulfilled this wish.
Ronaldo's post, featuring ba photos of him and his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez smiling and shaking hands with the former President, quickly gained strong traction. Within three days of being shared, this post garnered over 26 million likes on Instagram.
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Ronaldo's Instagram post about his visit to the Oval Office, White House. Screenshot |
Their collective social media presence is significant; out of the top 20 most-liked Instagram posts of all time, Messi and Ronaldo each account for 6. Messi's celebration of the 2022 World Cup victory currently remains the most-liked post on the platform, with approximately 74,6 million likes. His recent Camp Nou visit post has climbed to 15th place on the rankings.
The moment both players appeared together in a Louis Vuitton chess advertisement on 20/11/2022, also ranks within the top 30. Ronaldo's Instagram post of this image received 41,4 million likes, ranking 6th, while Messi's Instagram post garnered 31,9 million likes, ranking 17th.
Despite their advanced ages (38 and 40 respectively), the 2026 North American World Cup is likely to be the last for Messi with Argentina and Ronaldo with Portugal. They could become the only players in history to participate in 6 World Cups, further solidifying their legacies over two decades.
Both continue to break records on the field. Messi holds the record for most assists at the national team level (61 assists), and Ronaldo for most goals in World Cup qualifier history (41 goals). At the club level, they also continue to impress. On 23/11, after Ronaldo caused a stir with a bicycle kick goal for Al Nassr in their 4-2 win against Al Khaleej Saihat in the Saudi Pro League, Messi responded with mot goal and a hat-trick of assists, leading Inter Miami to a 4-0 victory over FC Cincinnati in the Major League Soccer Cup quarterfinals.
By Ha Phuong
