Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi after gaining 30million Instagram followers

Cristiano Ronaldo has gained a staggering 30 million Instagram followers in 2017 – the most by a sports star.

The Real Madrid icon is now up to 116 million followers on the social networking site, making his profile the second-most followed on the platform, behind only the actress and singer Selena Gomez.

Ronaldo has moved into second place ahead of pop star Ariana Grande, who has 115 million. Beyonce (108 million) and Kim Kardashian (104 million) are fourth and fifth on the list.

But when it comes to sports stars, the Portuguese reigns supreme.

A study from Teneo Blue Rubicon shows Ronaldo has gained nine million more followers than great rival Lionel Messi in 2017, with the Argentinean’s 21 million extra follows placing him on an overall total of 84 million.

His former Barcelona teammate Neymar is next, gaining 20 million more to sit on 84.8 million.

Neymar, however is top when it comes to sports stars’ views on Instagram Stories.

The Brazilian comes out on top of that list, ahead of Ronaldo, with Juventus star Paulo Dybala a somewhat surprising presence in third.

Instagram is also a lucrative tool for famous people to make money.

Ronaldo makes a reported £308,000 per sponsored post, the most of any male in the world , and behind only Gomez and Kardashian.