Ronaldo becomes first person to pass 400m Instagram followers

 The Man Utd forward's global fanbase continues to grow on social media despite the fact he is now approaching the latter stages of his career

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first person to pass 400 million followers on Instagram.

Ronaldo has established himself as one of football's all-time greats across a glittering 22-year career, breaking all kinds of individual records for goals while also winning the biggest team prizes the game has to offer.

Despite turning 37 on Saturday, the Portuguese is showing little sign of slowing down, and his popularity away from the pitch only appears to be growing.

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Ronaldo sets new social media mark

Ronaldo is the first person to reach 400 million followers on Instagram, with his account second only to the platform's official handle - which currently has 469 million.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was first to reach the 200 million followers mark in January 2020 and has managed to double that number in just two years, with Paris Saint-Germain's Lionel Messi the second most followed footballer on Instagram at just over 300 million.

Ronaldo's most recent post received almost 14 million likes as he uploaded a picture with his wife Georgina Rodriguez at dinner and thanked his followers for wishing him a happy birthday.

"Life is a roller coaster," he captioned the post. "Hard work, high speed, urgent goals, demanding expectations.

"But in the end, it all comes down to family, love, honesty, friendship, values that make it all worth it. Thanks for all the messages! 37 and counting!"