They are close rivals in almost all respects, except when it comes to social media. But when it comes to the value generated from those accounts, Messi gets lapped by Ronaldo, according to data from Hookit, which measures the social and digital media value for brands. Messi has a vast following, but he produced “only” $53.5 million in value for Adidas on social media during 2016. Ronaldo’s 36 promoted posts featuring the Adidas three stripes produced $50 million in media value thanks to 45 million interactions, per Hookit. Messi was much more restrained in his social posts featuring the Nike Swoosh.

Source: Forbes February 23, 2017 16:07 UTC