Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first person on the planet to hit 500 million Instagram followers

Cristiano Ronaldo has smashed records left, right, and centre his whole life, and his social media account is no exception.

The Manchester United star has become the first person ever to reach a massive 500 million followers on Instagram.

That means that more than 10 per cent of the world's population (or around one in every 16 people) now follow the Portuguese footballer.

Mind blowing, when you really think about it.

The next most-followed Instagram accounts belong to footballer Lionel Messi, trailing at a paltry 376 million and Kylie Jenner at 372 million.

The record breaking follower count comes after the Manchester United star ripped into his own club, telling Piers Morgan on TalkTV that he believes the club has 'betrayed' him.

In the stunning interview with the legendary forward did not hold back when describing how he feels amongst his teammates.

"Yes, I feel betrayed. And I felt that some people, they don't want me here," Ronaldo told Morgan.

"Not only this year, but last year too."

Despite his disparaging comments against his own team, Ronaldo's followers continued to swell before finally hitting the 500 million mark.

A Louis Vuitton campaign post with Lionel Messi came just before he hit the big 500 and it could have tipped Ronaldo's follower count over the edge.

The Portuguese star gained more than one million followers in just 24 hours after the picture was posted.

So, it looks like it isn't just Kim Kardashian who can break the internet these days.

The image, which features the two sports stars playing chess, reached more than 35 million likes.

On average, Ronaldo’s photos usually earn him an average of 10 million likes per post.

The photograph, taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, has since become the second-most-liked post on Instagram.

The only post that beats it is a photo of an egg with a whopping 55.9 million likes.

And that one is still on the rise.

Topics: Sport, Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Instagram, Social Media

Rachel Lang

Rachel Lang is a Digital Journalist at LADbible. During her career, she has interviewed Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull in the lead up to the 2016 federal election, ran an editorial campaign on the war in Yemen, and reported on homelessness in the lead-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in Windsor. She also once wrote a yarn on the cheese and wine version of Fyre Festival.

@rlangjournalist