‘You’ve been with me every step’ – Ronaldo thanks fans as he reaches 1 billion followers

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has thanked his ardent supporters after becoming the first person to have more than a billion followers on his social media platforms.

“This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo said in a statement.

The former Real Madrid player who is at the tail end of his career, said throughout his career he played for his loved ones.

“I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.”

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve.”

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Ronaldo in numbers

Ronaldo has 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.

He recently launched his YouTube channel, UR · Ronaldo that became the fastest channel to hit 1 million subscribers on the platform and has now reached over 60 million.

During the recent international break where footballers represented their countries, Ronaldo broke another record when he scored a goal against Croatia, which was his 900th in professional football. He is the first men’s player to achieve this feat.

“Thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being a part of my life. The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together.”

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Critical Ronaldo

In a recent episode on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the former Manchester United player criticised, not for the first time, current United boss Erik ten Hag.

“Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion,” Ronaldo said.

“The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League.

“You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”

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