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FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – JULY 21: Inter Miami midfielder Lionel Messi (10) smiles on the bench before the Leagues Cup game between Cruz Azul and Inter Miami CF on Friday, July 21, 2023 at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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via Getty
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – JULY 21: Inter Miami midfielder Lionel Messi (10) smiles on the bench before the Leagues Cup game between Cruz Azul and Inter Miami CF on Friday, July 21, 2023 at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the greatest names in the sporting world. Messi has achieved everything there is achieved in soccer, and is currently enjoying the dusk of his career. Recently, he made his move to Inter Miami from PSG and had the world in awe of him.
During his first match for Inter Miami, names such as LeBron James, Serena Williams, and even Kim Kardashian headed to the stadium to catch a glimpse of Messi playing. And the FIFA World Cup winning captain made sure to end things in an iconic manner. However, just moments after aweing James, and Williams, Messi surpassed another American sports GOAT.
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Which American sports GOAT did Lionel Messi surpass and in which fashion?
Breaking records has been a regular task for Messi, and he again proved it right, when he shot past one of the greatest athletes in a ridiculous fashion. Former football player and professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson is one of the most well-known names in the world.
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via Imago
FORT LAUDERDALE FL – JULY 21: Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF is waving to the crowd during his first game in a Leagues Cup match against against Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium on July 21, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUSA Copyright: xmpi04x
Till now, Dwayne Johnson was the second most followed athlete on Instagram, until Messi decided it was his time. As soon as his iconic freekick against Cruz Azul connected, Messi’s Instagram numbers soared as well. He shot to second place, just behind another soccer legend, Cristiano Ronaldo. The number 7 from Portugal rules the list with 585 million followers.
The top 10 most followed atheletes on Instagram:
1.🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: 585 Million followers
2.🇦🇷 Leonel Messi: 464 M
3.🇺🇲 Dwayne Johnson: 380 M
4.🇮🇳 Virat Kohli: 250 M
5.🇧🇷 Neymar Jr: 208 M
6.🇺🇲 Lebron James: 153 M
7.🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe: 104 M
8.🇬🇧 David Beckham: 79.3 M
9.🇧🇷…— Global Index (@TheGlobal_Index) July 21, 2023
It was a tremendous moment of pride for Messi. Johnson is one of the most well-known and popular names in the sports and entertainment world, and surpassing him means a lot. Now done with Cruz Azul, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are now looking for their next challenge in Atlanta United.
Fans never expected Messi to make a move out of Barcelona, but he did. His first transfer to PSG raised a lot of eyebrows, and then his second move to Miami made him the talk of the town. Months ago, Messi won the FIFA World Cup against France and is now living the time of his life.
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Lionel Messi’s star-power helped Inter Miami off the pitch
Similar to what Cristiano Ronaldo did with Al-Nassr, Messi’s stardom did the same with Inter Miami. Prior to the Argentinian forward joining the MLS team, Inter Miami had 1 million followers. However, as soon as Messi joined, the team shot to a total of 11.8 million followers on Instagram.
This feat turned the statistics haywire and made Miami the fifth-highest-followed American sports team. Ronaldo had done the same with Al-Nassr. Before CR7 joined the Saudi Arabian team, it had around 800k followers. However, after the Portuguese captain made his move, the club shot to around 2.5 million followers, and now boasts 15.9 million followers.
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Watch This Story: The Evolution of Dwayne Johnson
Going at this rate, do you think Messi will surpass Ronaldo’s social media record? Let us know in the comments.
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