section_path: In popular culture/Popularity and online following
section_name: Popularity and online following
paragraph_text: Popularity and online following
  
  Ronaldo was named in the 2014 Time 100, Time ' s annual list of the most influential people in the world. ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Demand for a replica Ronaldo shirt has been high throughout his career. In 2008, Ronaldo's number 7 Manchester United shirt was the best-selling Premier League sports product. In 2015, Ronaldo's number 7 Real Madrid shirt was the second best-selling worldwide, after Messi's number 10 Barcelona shirt. In 2018, within 24 hours of his number 7 Juventus shirt being released, over 520,000 had been sold, with $62.4 million generated in one day.
  
  Ronaldo has established a strong online presence. The most popular sportsperson on social media, he counted over 500 million total followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by February 2021, making him the first person to pass half a billion followers. The most-followed person on Facebook (171 million), most-followed on Instagram (650 million) and most-followed sportsperson on Twitter (115 million), his sponsors earned $936 million in media value across his accounts between June 2016 and June 2017. After announcing the creation of his YouTube channel, UR Cristiano on 21 August 2024, it became the fastest to reach the 1 million subscribers milestone, doing so in 90 minutes. The channel also became the fastest to reach 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 million subscribers. It also became the most subscribed channel in Portugal, surpassing the Portuguese Nick Jr. Computer security company McAfee produced a 2012 report ranking footballers by the probability of an internet search for their name leading to an unsafe website, with Ronaldo's name first on the list.
  
  Ronaldo was named in the 2014 Time 100, Time ' s annual list of the most influential people in the world. ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Demand for a replica Ronaldo shirt has been high throughout his career. In 2008, Ronaldo's number 7 Manchester United shirt was the best-selling Premier League sports product. In 2015, Ronaldo's number 7 Real Madrid shirt was the second best-selling worldwide, after Messi's number 10 Barcelona shirt. In 2018, within 24 hours of his number 7 Juventus shirt being released, over 520,000 had been sold, with $62.4 million generated in one day.
  
  Ronaldo has established a strong online presence. The most popular sportsperson on social media, he counted over 500 million total followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by February 2021, making him the first person to pass half a billion followers. The most-followed person on Facebook (171 million), most-followed on Instagram (650 million) and most-followed sportsperson on Twitter (115 million), his sponsors earned $936 million in media value across his accounts between June 2016 and June 2017. After announcing the creation of his YouTube channel, UR Cristiano on 21 August 2024, it became the fastest to reach the 1 million subscribers milestone, doing so in 90 minutes. The channel also became the fastest to reach 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 million subscribers. It also became the most subscribed channel in Portugal, surpassing the Portuguese Nick Jr. Computer security company McAfee produced a 2012 report ranking footballers by the probability of an internet search for their name leading to an unsafe website, with Ronaldo's name first on the list.