Short answer: Cristiano Ronaldo has the most followers of any footballer on X (formerly Twitter), with 114.5 million, read from his profile on 1 November 2026. Neymar Jr is second on 66.4 million and Kaká third on 29.6 million. This top 50 runs down to Thibaut Courtois on 4.1 million.
On X the leader is far ahead of everyone else. Ronaldo is 48.1 million followers ahead of Neymar Jr, and Neymar is in turn 36.8 million ahead of Kaká. Every count below was read from the player’s own X profile on 1 November 2026, and each profile is linked in the table.
- Ronaldo leads Neymar Jr by 48.1 million followers.
- The leader has 5.9 times the followers of the player in 10th place, Mohamed Salah.
- The top 10 together have 365.9 million followers; the top 50 have 738.4 million.
- Brazil and Spain supply three players each in the top 10; in the top 50 Brazil has 11 and Spain 10.
- Of the 50 players, 25 are active with a club, 18 are retired, 2 are without a club and 5 have no confirmed club.
- Ronaldo, at Al Nassr, is the top active player with a club.
The top 10
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 114.5 Million Followers
The Portugal international plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. His 114.5 million followers put him 48.1 million ahead of Neymar Jr. He is also first among footballers on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, so X is one more platform he leads.
2. Neymar Jr – 66.4 Million Followers
Neymar, from Brazil, plays for Santos in the Brasileirão Série A. He has 66.4 million followers, 48.1 million fewer than Ronaldo but 36.8 million more than Kaká in third. He is 3rd on Instagram, 3rd on Facebook, 2nd on YouTube and 2nd on TikTok.
3. Kaká – 29.6 Million Followers
The retired Brazil player is the highest-ranked retired player on X. His 29.6 million followers are 3.4 million more than Mesut Özil has. He is only 30th on Instagram, but 9th on Facebook and 20th on YouTube.
4. Mesut Özil – 26.2 Million Followers
Özil, retired and from Germany, has 26.2 million followers, 800 thousand more than Andrés Iniesta in fifth. His X rank is far above his Instagram rank (32nd); on Facebook he is 10th.
5. Andrés Iniesta – 25.4 Million Followers
The retired Spain player has 25.4 million followers and sits 3.9 million ahead of Ronaldinho. He is 23rd on Instagram and 24th on YouTube.
6. Ronaldinho – 21.5 Million Followers
The Brazilian came out of retirement in 2026 and is listed with Ravenna FC. With 21.5 million followers he is 300 thousand ahead of Karim Benzema. His other ranks are 6th on Instagram, 5th on Facebook, 13th on YouTube and 4th on TikTok.
7. Karim Benzema – 21.2 Million Followers
The France international is currently without a club (a free agent). His 21.2 million followers are only 100 thousand more than Gerard Piqué has. He is 8th on Instagram, 6th on Facebook and 16th on YouTube.
8. Gerard Piqué – 21.1 Million Followers
Piqué, retired and from Spain, has 21.1 million followers, 500 thousand more than Sergio Ramos. His X rank is much higher than his Instagram rank, which is 49th. He is 20th on Facebook and 47th on TikTok.
9. Sergio Ramos – 20.6 Million Followers
The Spain international has 20.6 million followers, 1.2 million more than Salah in tenth. He ranks 9th on Instagram, 8th on Facebook, 15th on YouTube and 5th on TikTok.
10. Mohamed Salah – 19.4 Million Followers
The Egypt player is at Trabzonspor in the Süper Lig. His 19.4 million followers are 200 thousand ahead of James Rodríguez. He is 11th on Instagram and 26th on Facebook.
Ranks 11 to 50
Below the top 10 the counts are tightly packed: from 11th to 50th the whole list spans 19.2 million down to 4.1 million, and several players are level on a rounded count. The four groups below name every player from 11th to 50th with the count read on 1 November 2026, along with his club or status, nationality and, where the data has it, his rank on another platform.
11–20
James Rodríguez of Colombia opens the group on 19.2 million, followed by the retired Wales player Gareth Bale on 19.1 million. Radamel Falcao, also from Colombia, has 17.6 million, 1.5 million behind Bale, and is only 65th on Instagram. Luis Suárez of Inter Miami CF has 17.2 million and the retired England player Wayne Rooney 17.1 million; Rooney is 73rd on Instagram. The retired Argentina player Sergio Agüero has 15.8 million, and Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid, 4th on Instagram, has 14.6 million. David de Gea of Fiorentina has 13.8 million and is 80th on Instagram. The group closes with two retired players, Marcelo Vieira of Brazil on 13.1 million and Toni Kroos of Germany on 12.8 million.
21–30
Three retired Spain players start this group: Xabi Alonso on 12.1 million (96th on Instagram), Carles Puyol on 11.4 million (92nd) and Cesc Fàbregas on 11.2 million (83rd). Vinícius Júnior of Real Madrid has 10.8 million and is 3rd on TikTok, while the free agent Paul Pogba has 10.5 million and the retired Iker Casillas 10.3 million. The last four places are the closest of the group. The retired Sweden player Zlatan Ibrahimović, Dani Alves of Brazil and David Luiz of Pafos FC all have 9.2 million, so the gaps between ranks 27, 28 and 29 are nil, and Antoine Griezmann of Orlando City SC follows on 9.1 million.
31–40
The retired Brazil player Ronaldo Nazário opens the group on 7.5 million, 1.6 million behind Griezmann. Erling Haaland of Manchester City and the retired Belgium player Eden Hazard both have 7.4 million, so the gap between them is nil. Haaland is 7th on Instagram but only 32nd here. Marcus Rashford of Manchester United has 7.2 million and Kevin De Bruyne of Napoli, also from Belgium, 6.8 million. Luka Modrić of AC Milan has 5.8 million, a full million behind De Bruyne, and Isco of Real Betis 5.6 million. The group ends with a three-way tie on 5.4 million: Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, the retired France player Raphaël Varane and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane.
41–50
The retired Germany player Bastian Schweinsteiger has 5.2 million, followed by Thiago Silva of Fluminense on 5.1 million. Casemiro of Inter Miami CF has 4.8 million, and Arturo Vidal of Chile, whose club is not confirmed in our data, has 4.6 million. Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, from the Netherlands, has 4.5 million and Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich 4.4 million. Álvaro Morata of CD Leganés has 4.3 million and Rodrygo Goes of Real Madrid 4.2 million. Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain, the only Morocco player in the list, and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois both have 4.1 million, which closes the top 50.
Full ranking: top 50 on X
| Rank | Player | Club / status | Nationality | X followers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League) | Portugal | 114.5M |
| 2 | Neymar Jr | Santos (Brasileirão Série A) | Brazil | 66.4M |
| 3 | Kaká | retired | Brazil | 29.6M |
| 4 | Mesut Özil | retired | Germany | 26.2M |
| 5 | Andrés Iniesta | retired | Spain | 25.4M |
| 6 | Ronaldinho | Ravenna FC | Brazil | 21.5M |
| 7 | Karim Benzema | without a club (free agent) | France | 21.2M |
| 8 | Gerard Piqué | retired | Spain | 21.1M |
| 9 | Sergio Ramos | – | Spain | 20.6M |
| 10 | Mohamed Salah | Trabzonspor (Süper Lig) | Egypt | 19.4M |
| 11 | James Rodríguez | – | Colombia | 19.2M |
| 12 | Gareth Bale | retired | Wales | 19.1M |
| 13 | Radamel Falcao | – | Colombia | 17.6M |
| 14 | Luis Suárez | Inter Miami CF (MLS) | Uruguay | 17.2M |
| 15 | Wayne Rooney | retired | England | 17.1M |
| 16 | Sergio Agüero | retired | Argentina | 15.8M |
| 17 | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid (LaLiga) | France | 14.6M |
| 18 | David de Gea | Fiorentina (Serie A) | Spain | 13.8M |
| 19 | Marcelo Vieira | retired | Brazil | 13.1M |
| 20 | Toni Kroos | retired | Germany | 12.8M |
| 21 | Xabi Alonso | retired | Spain | 12.1M |
| 22 | Carles Puyol | retired | Spain | 11.4M |
| 23 | Cesc Fàbregas | retired | Spain | 11.2M |
| 24 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid (LaLiga) | Brazil | 10.8M |
| 25 | Paul Pogba | without a club (free agent) | France | 10.5M |
| 26 | Iker Casillas | retired | Spain | 10.3M |
| 27 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | retired | Sweden | 9.2M |
| 28 | Dani Alves | – | Brazil | 9.2M |
| 29 | David Luiz | Pafos FC (Cypriot First Division) | Brazil | 9.2M |
| 30 | Antoine Griezmann | Orlando City SC (MLS) | France | 9.1M |
| 31 | Ronaldo Nazário | retired | Brazil | 7.5M |
| 32 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City (Premier League) | Norway | 7.4M |
| 33 | Eden Hazard | retired | Belgium | 7.4M |
| 34 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United (Premier League) | England | 7.2M |
| 35 | Kevin De Bruyne | Napoli (Serie A) | Belgium | 6.8M |
| 36 | Luka Modrić | AC Milan (Serie A) | Croatia | 5.8M |
| 37 | Isco | Real Betis (LaLiga) | Spain | 5.6M |
| 38 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid (LaLiga) | England | 5.4M |
| 39 | Raphaël Varane | retired | France | 5.4M |
| 40 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) | England | 5.4M |
| 41 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | retired | Germany | 5.2M |
| 42 | Thiago Silva | Fluminense (Brasileirão Série A) | Brazil | 5.1M |
| 43 | Casemiro | Inter Miami CF (MLS) | Brazil | 4.8M |
| 44 | Arturo Vidal | – | Chile | 4.6M |
| 45 | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool (Premier League) | Netherlands | 4.5M |
| 46 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) | Germany | 4.4M |
| 47 | Álvaro Morata | CD Leganés (LaLiga Hypermotion (Segunda División)) | Spain | 4.3M |
| 48 | Rodrygo Goes | Real Madrid (LaLiga) | Brazil | 4.2M |
| 49 | Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1) | Morocco | 4.1M |
| 50 | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid (LaLiga) | Belgium | 4.1M |
What the top 50 shows
Nationalities
Brazil has the most players in the top 50 with 11, followed by Spain with 10, France with 5, and Germany and England with 4 each. Belgium has 3 and Colombia 2. Eleven further nationalities have one player each, and 18 nationalities appear in total. In the top 10, Brazil and Spain have three players each.
Active and retired players
Retired players are a large part of the X list. Of the 50 players, 25 are active with a club, 18 are retired, 2 are without a club and 5 have no confirmed club. In the top 10, four are retired (Kaká, Özil, Iniesta and Piqué) and four are active with a club. The retired players hold ranks 3, 4, 5 and 8.
Leagues and clubs
Among active players with a club, LaLiga has the most entries (6), followed by MLS, Serie A and the Premier League with 3 each. The Brasileirão Série A and the Bundesliga have 2 each, and the Saudi Pro League, the Süper Lig, the Cypriot First Division, LaLiga Hypermotion and Ligue 1 one each. Real Madrid has five players in the top 50 (Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes and Courtois). Inter Miami CF and Bayern Munich have two each.
Gaps and ties
The biggest gap is at the top: 48.1 million between Ronaldo and Neymar Jr, followed by 36.8 million between Neymar Jr and Kaká. After that the largest gaps are 3.9 million (Iniesta to Ronaldinho) and 3.4 million (Kaká to Özil). Further down the counts bunch together: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Dani Alves and David Luiz share 9.2 million, Haaland and Hazard 7.4 million, Bellingham, Varane and Kane 5.4 million, and Hakimi and Courtois 4.1 million. Most of the counts supplied are round numbers, so small gaps should not be over-read.
Where Lionel Messi is
Lionel Messi is not in the top 50. The figure used for him is the @TeamMessi account, which has 3.36 million followers and ranks 62nd of the 100 players read. On Instagram he is 2nd.
X rank against Instagram rank
The X list differs sharply from the Instagram one. Xabi Alonso is 21st on X and 96th on Instagram, Carles Puyol 22nd and 92nd, David de Gea 18th and 80th, Wayne Rooney 15th and 73rd and Radamel Falcao 13th and 65th. In the other direction, Erling Haaland is 32nd on X but 7th on Instagram, and Mbappé is 17th against 4th.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most followed football player on X?
Cristiano Ronaldo, with 114.5 million followers when his profile was read on 1 November 2026. Neymar Jr is second with 66.4 million.
How many followers does Cristiano Ronaldo have on X?
114.5 million. That is 48.1 million more than Neymar Jr and 5.9 times the count of the player in 10th place.
Which active player with a club has the most followers on X?
Ronaldo, who is at Al Nassr. Neymar Jr (Santos) is the next active player with a club, followed by Ronaldinho (Ravenna FC) in 6th place.
Which retired footballer has the most followers on X?
Kaká, with 29.6 million followers, in 3rd place overall. Mesut Özil (26.2 million) and Andrés Iniesta (25.4 million) are the next retired players, in 4th and 5th place.
Which country has the most players in the X top 50?
Brazil, with 11 players. Spain has 10 and France 5, and 18 nationalities appear in total.
How many followers do you need to reach the X top 50?
The 50th-placed player, Thibaut Courtois, has 4.1 million followers, the same rounded count as Achraf Hakimi in 49th. The top 50 together have 738.4 million.
Sources
Each figure is the follower count shown on the player’s own X profile, read on 1 November 2026. The profile link for every player is in the table above. Most of the counts supplied are round numbers; Lionel Messi’s, from the @TeamMessi account, is given in full.
FootGoal started from the 100 footballers with the most Instagram followers (October 2026) and read each one’s X profile, so players outside that group are not included. Where two or more players show the same rounded count, such as 9.2 million for Zlatan Ibrahimović, Dani Alves and David Luiz, they are listed one after the other and the gap between them is shown as nil. Club and status details are those held by FootGoal at the time of writing, and where a club could not be confirmed it is not stated.
See also our most followed football players in the world (all platforms), the football players with the most Instagram followers and the football players with the most TikTok followers.
