June 13 – Real Madrid and Barcelona remain unmatched in football’s global digital reach, topping the latest social media rankings published by the CIES Football Observatory this week, tracking the 100 most-followed clubs across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Real Madrid leads all clubs with more than 470 million followers across platforms, followed closely by fierce rivals Barcelona at 424 million. The next tier is some distance behind: Manchester United ranks third at 234 million, with Paris Saint-Germain (199 million) in fourth. The top 10 also includes English heavyweights Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal, alongside Bayern Munich and Juventus – reinforcing the dominance of Europe’s elite clubs in global fan engagement.
The strongest non-European presence comes from Brazil’s Flamengo, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and Egyptian giants Al Ahly. These clubs lead in regional influence but remain far behind in overall numbers, highlighting the scale of disparity in global brand power between Europe’s top-tier clubs and even the largest teams outside the continent.
Al Nassr in particular has seen an enormous benefit since the acquisition of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, going from less than 1 million to 62 million since Ronaldo’s arrival in January 2023. The 40-year-old is the most-followed individual on social media with over 1 billion followers across all platforms – over double the tally of former club Real Madrid.
A standout trend in the latest data is the sharp rise in followership for Brazilian side Santos, whose 82% jump in subscriptions since June 2024 is attributed almost entirely to the headline-grabbing return of Neymar. The spike underlines the power of star players in driving digital engagement and highlights how transfer activity can translate directly into commercial and branding benefits.
As media rights and sponsorships become increasingly tied to digital metrics, social media performance is more than vanity: it’s an asset class. Clubs with massive online followings are better positioned to attract global partnerships, activate fan bases across markets, and monetise beyond the stadium gate.
With more than 470 million followers, Real Madrid’s social footprint is now larger than many Fortune 500 companies – a reminder that football’s biggest brands are not just sports teams, but have become global media entities in their own right.
To see the full data click here.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1749934009labto1749934009ofdlr1749934009owedi1749934009sni@g1749934009niwe.1749934009yrrah1749934009