Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is adding YouTube star to his list of accolades.
The Portuguese athlete racked up more than 24 million subscribers on the platform since posting his first video to his “UR Cristiano” channel on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr, celebrated his rapid subscriber growth in a video on his Instagram Thursday, where he is seen showcasing a golden YouTube plaque given to users who reach Creator Award subscriber milestones.
Ronaldo joined YouTube on July 8, according to his channel’s bio page. But his first videos were published on Wednesday.
As of Thursday, he’s uploaded 19 videos, seven of which are Reels and 12 of which are traditional videos. Most of the videos are around three minutes or less and focus on Ronaldo, his family and his lifestyle.
The international sports star first posted that he was branching out on YouTube in an Instagram post on Wednesday, telling his fans that he had a “big surprise” for them.
Off of YouTube, Ronaldo has garnered a gargantuan following on social media. His X account has more than 112.6 million followers and his Facebook page has 170 million followers. On Instagram, he has 636 million followers — the most followers just slightly behind the official account for Instagram. (The third most-followed person on Instagram is soccer player Lionel Messi).
Representatives for Ronaldo declined to comment.
Pedro Pina, vice president of YouTube Europe, Middle East and Africa, congratulated Ronaldo in a statement.
“YouTube’s dream team-up with football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has been a labour of love and dedication,” he said. “And watching his channel explode is pure gold! This is just the kick-off to an epic adventure, and we’re strapped in for the ride. Massive congrats to Cristiano and his squad! And let’s keep those SIUUUUUUUBSCRIPTIONS rolling in!”
Ronaldo, who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, is not the first athlete to share his life with his fans on YouTube.
Stephen Curry, the history-making Golden State Warriors player, has more than 1.76 million followers on his YouTube channel. Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who describes himself as the “biggest YouTuber in NFL history,” has 1.46 million followers on his channel.
However, every athlete on the platform is outpaced by creator Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, who holds YouTube’s top channel spot with 311 million subscribers.
Ananya Das is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. Based on a keen understanding of digital culture, Sophie navigates the ever-evolving landscape of trending topics. With an insightful and engaging approach, she explores what’s buzzing across social media platforms, ensuring readers stay in the loop with the most talked-about and shareable content online.
