The secret to being the best social media influencer around is simple - be a world famous footballer or a Kardashian.
Number crunchers have done the math and discovered that Cristiano Ronaldo now earns more money a year from his posts on Instagram, than he does from playing football. Just let that sink in...
And he's not alone in making huge sums of money off social media, because of his talent as a footballer. Six of the top 10 richest social media influencers are soccer stars. CR7 tops the charts, making an estimated $47.8 million per year from Instagram posts alone - while he takes home $33m kicking a ball for Juventus.
With 187million followers, he has major traction and can earn up to $1 million for a single advertisement post.
According to the research, Ronaldo has disclosed 49 ads on the social sharing site, putting his name to brands including Clear Haircare, Nike Football and Six Pad Europe.
To show the enormity of Ronaldo’s pulling power, his income is more than half of Lionel Messi, who brings home $23.3 million from his posts.
David Beckham, one of the most photogenic men in the world, is fourth on the list, raking in $10.7 million, five million quid less than Kendall Jenner.
The days of Beckham and Brylcreem were a long while ago but the former Manchester United and Real Madrid icon now fronts whiskey brand Haig Club, among many other endorsements.
Selena Gomez, the only one on the list not a footballer or a member of the Kardashian clan, has 152m Instagram followers and completes the top five.
Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sit sixth and seventh, earning $7.2million and $4million dollars respectively, sitting just above Kylie Jenner who earns $3.8m a year, at the age of 22.
Ronaldinho, who called time on his career in 2015, still features in the top 10 in ninth with Instagram earnings of $2.6m.
The Brazilian icon was arguably the best and most recognisable footballer on the planet between 2002 and 2005 and is still seen as a major asset to marketing teams across the globe.
The last name on the list is Khloe Kardashian who is believed to earn $1.2m annually from her social posts.
Has it sunk in yet...?
