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THE WORLD’S TOP 20 SPORTS ATHLETES ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026

The world’s top 20 sports athletes on Instagram in 2026 list. The latest ranking list of the world’s top 20 most famous and popular sports people, players, celebrities and influencers on Instagram with the most followers.

Brought to you by Mau, a Senior Instagram Marketing Specialist and sports fan at eDigital.

THE WORLD’S TOP 20 SPORTS ATHLETES ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026

Before you start checking this “Top 20 Sports Athletes on Instagram” – ranking list, let me tell you something you might find hard to admit:

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You own nothing 🤡 on your Instagram account.

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THE WORLD’S TOP 20 SPORTS ATHLETES ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026

20. James Rodríguez

@jamesrodriguez10

James Rodriguez is one of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 51.8+ million followers.

James Rodríguez is a Colombian football player who has been struggling to keep his top form in the last few years.

Real Madrid FC signed him off right after his successful 2014 FIFA World Cup and he was given the famous Number 10 Real Madrid t-shirt that automatically got him instant celebrity status and fame. After a couple of seasons with Real Madrid FC, he was loaned to Bayern FC for another two seasons before moving to the English team: Everton FC where he played just one season in the English Premier League.

In 2021, Al-Rayyan (a Qatari football club) signed him with a salary of 12 million euros a year. He lasted only one season in Qatar before moving to the Greek football Olympiacos F.C. which had him for a short spell of 7 months terminating his contract in April  2023.

After three months unemployed (as a free agent), he signed a 2-year contract with Sao Paulo F.C. in July 2023. He joint Rayo Vallecano F.C. in September 2024 with a one-year contract until mid 2025.

James Rodríguez has featured in several marketing campaigns including Dos Molinos (His own Cafes chain brand), Calvin Klein, Forex, Huawei, WarRobots, Pixonic, Adidas Colombia, Monastery Couture & Dolce Gabanna.

Popular today: this year’s top 10 TikTok Marketing trends

You may also want to check out the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok

19. Gareth Bale

@garethbale11

Gareth Bale is one of the most popular sports athletes on Instagram with 53+ million followers.

Finally, a good well-behaved boy on this list. Gareth Bale is a Welsh retired professional footballer who played last for Los Angeles F.C. He was a key player for Real Madrid FC and Tottenham Hotspurs in London.

Gareth Bale also enjoys playing golf – and he was not shy to admit it.

Bale has collaborated with different brands including TaylorMade Golf, BMW, Celtic Manor Resort, Wales Golf, The R&A, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup, PlayStation, Champions League, Cymru (Fawales), AirWays and Hublot.

Adidas, Nissan, Lucozade, EA Sports, and BT Sport are some of Gareth Bale’s most notable brand endorsements.

Who are the most popular footballers on social media?

Check out our ranking lists…

• The top 10 most popular footballers on TikTok (men only)
• The top 10 most popular female footballers on TikTok (women only)
• The top 10 most popular footballers on Instagram (men only)

18. Paulo Dybala

@paulodybala

Paulo Dybala is one of the most popular sports athletes on Instagram with 56.9+ million followers.

Paulo Dybala (also called: La Joya) is an Argentinian professional football player (creative midfielder) currently playing for Roma F.C. after a few years at Juventus FC in the Serie A league in Italy.

Dybala is also one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok

The word Joya means “fantastic” in the Spanish language.

Paulo Dybala has collaborated with top brands including Adidas Football, Web3 football game, Skrill digital payments, Replay and MonkeyLeague.

Football fans are also watching the best 10 Lionel Messi wallpaper images and photos with the Argentinian shirt

Want to work with some of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram?

Cherry pick the right athletes with this list of the top 250 most popular sports athletes on Instagram today! 📱🔥

17. Vinicius Jr

@vinijr

Vinicius Jr is one of the world’s most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 57.8+ million followers.

Vinicius Jr is a Brazilian-born football player.

Vini is one of the best football left-wingers in Europe who currently plays for Real Madrid FC.

The talented soccer player is one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on Instagram. Vinicius has been a frequent victim of racial abuse mainly in Spain.

Football marketers are also reading the top 10 most-followed footballers on Instagram

16. Stephen (Wardell) Curry

@stephencurry30

Stephen Curry is one of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 58.3+ million followers.

 

Stephen Curry is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Golden State Warriors team in the NBA, surely one of America’s top basketball stars.

Stephen Curry has collaborated with top brands including Curry Brand (His sneaker brand), Under Armour, Chase, Nissan Motor, Rakuten, Sony, JP Morgan, Brita, Unilever, Vivo, Infiniti and FTX, Cova Street Art, Underrated Golf Tour, Callaway Golf, Golf Channel, Eat Learn Play Foundation, Chase Finance, Apple Music, KPMG Golf, Carmax and Howard Bison Golf.

Sports managers also checked out some of the top 10 American female sports athletes on Instagram

15. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

@iamzlatanibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most popular sports athletes on Instagram with 63.8+ million followers.

Zlatan is one of the most popular Swedish elite football strikers.

If you need to choose one of these top 10 sports stars to follow, this is your man, the “real” man.

Sports journalists and media revere Zlatan’s “no bullshit” ninja-type personality that allows him to say things no other football player in history has had the balls to say.

This controversial footballer walks his talk with a remarkable football career.

Hated by few but loved by millions, Zlatan is one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on Instagram and also one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok.

After a few years in the decadent U.S.A. soccer league, Zlatan Ibrahimovic came back to AC Milan F.C. (in 2019 – aged 38) to become (again) one of the top Calcio league (Serie A) top goal scorers of the season.

Zlatan retired – as a professional football player – in June 2023 with a massive farewell at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. He is now an advisor for Milan FC.

Global marketing campaigns using Zlatan’s name and look can be seen on brands such as Nike, EA Sports, FIFPro, United Nations World Food Program, Nivea, Volvo and Microsoft Xbox.

Want to work with some of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram?

Cherry pick the right athletes with this list of the top 250 most popular sports athletes on Instagram today! 📱🔥

14. Paul Pogba

@paulpogba

Paul Pogba is one of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 65.1+ million followers.

Paul Pogba is a French professional football player.

Due to his extraordinary defensive and attacking skills, Paul Pogba is considered one of the “best midfield football players in the world”.

No wonder Pogba is also one of the most-followed footballers on Instagram.

This popular French player on Instagram currently plays for Juventus FC

The media is surely missing the disagreements he had with coach Jose Mourinho when both were part of the Manchester United FC squad.

Brands collaborating with Paul Pogba include adidas, Pepsi, TCL Electronics, Adidas Football, Wahed Finance and the NBA.

Pogba also presented the Best Song award at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Marketers are reading this year’s top 10 graphic design trends

13. Mohamed Salah

@mosalah

Mo Salah is one of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 66.2+ million followers.

Mohamed Salah, also called: “The King of Egypt” is one of the most-followed footballers on Instagram. Mo Salah is a popular Egyptian football striker who currently plays for Liverpool FC in the English Premier League tournament.

The good Muslim married man got into a massive scandal in 2019 because of a GQ magazine photoshoot image in which he is being embraced by Alessandra Ambrosio ( former Victoria’s Secret Angel model).

He was criticised for breaking the strict code of ethics, rules and values for Muslim marriage men in Arab society. Related: The best Code of Ethics template.

A professional photoshoot brief written by Mo Salah’s agent should have avoided this crazy scandal and could have educated the photographer and GQ team on what type of photos are allowed for a married Muslim man.

Mohammed Salah’s brand collaborations include Adidas, Vodafone (Egypt), Falken Tires, Uber, Pepsi, Mountain View Egypt Real Estate Developer and Oppo.

A social media user commented:

“Imagine if a married Muslim woman did this, she would cruelly be beaten” 

Learn how to brief a Sports Athlete like a pro with this best Influencer marketing brief template

Top footballers’ wallpapers:

• The top 10 Lionel Messi wallpaper images and photos
• The top 10 Cristiano Ronaldo wallpaper images and photos
• The top 10 Neymar Jr wallpaper images and photos
• The top 10 Diego Maradona photos

12. Sergio Ramos

@sergioramos

Sergio Ramos is one of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 67.4+ million followers.

Sergio Ramos is one of the most popular Spanish football defenders in the last decade.

Ramos’s successful career at Real Madrid FC has made him win different trophies including Champions League titles.

Sergio Ramos is also one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on Instagram and also one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok.

In June 2023, Sergio Ramos left Paris Saint Germain FC and joined Sevilla FC

His followers can enjoy watching videos and photos of his training regime and his fashion style. His attack on the “Egyptian king” Mohamed Salah in the Champions League Final 2018 went viral as Mo Salah had to leave the pitch with a bad shoulder injury.

Sergio Ramos has worked with top brands including Nike, Mizuno, Nivea Men, Hugo Boss, Budweiser, McFit, Pepsi, Gatorade, Assassin’s Creed and Microsoft.

Most views today: the top 10 American female sports athletes on Instagram

Want to work with some of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram?

Cherry pick the right athletes with this list of the top 250 most popular sports athletes on Instagram today! 📱🔥

11. Marcelo Vieira

@marcelotwelve

Marcelo Vieira is one of the most popular sports athletes on Instagram with 68.5+ million followers.

Only Pelé may be loved more than Marcelo in Brazil.

Marcelo Vieira is a retired Brazilian professional footballer (left-back), one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on Instagram and also one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok.

Marcelo played for Real Madrid FC for 15 seasons and has had 58 appearances with the Brazilian football team.

After his long stint at Real Madrid FC, Marcelo joined Olympiacos FC (Greek football club) in 2022 for only one season and also played for Flumiense FC, a top-table Brazilian football team.

Marcelo Vieira retired in February 2025 and won many trophies including four UEFA Champions Leagues and five Spanish top professional “La Liga” titles with his team. Marcelo has mainly featured in global marketing campaigns for Adidas, Pepsi, Emirates Airlines, Amazon Prime Video and others.

Next: the top 10 most popular sports athletes on Instagram or the top 25 most popular sports athletes on Instagram

You should check out the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok.

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Marketers are also reading the world’s top 25 female fitness influencers and personal trainers on Instagram – list

Next: the top 10 most popular sports athletes on Instagram or the top 25 most popular sports athletes on Instagram

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💬 Users’ comments about this “top 20 sports athletes on Instagram” ranking list:

• “Teaming up with the most followed athletes on Instagram is pure gold, their loyal fans trust them, and your brand gets instant credibility and massive exposure” 🚀💥 Adam Tessorio

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🎬 Conclusion

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These popular sports athletes aren’t just good at their sport; they’re practically gods to their fans. 💪🏅 It’s about an emotional connection with people who worship the ground these athletes walk on.

I mean, have you seen Ronaldo’s Instagram? 😱

Now, imagine having your brand featured by these legends. 💥

Picture it: your brand in front of millions of dedicated, passionate fans who not only trust their idols but also buy what they endorse. 💸 This isn’t just marketing; this are strategic endorsements! 🏆💯

With the right athlete, you’re basically injecting your brand directly into their fan’s heart. 🚀🤩

But wait, don’t just go for any sports star on Instagram.

Make sure the athletes you cherry pick, align with your audience.

Is your market into athleticism or luxury? Maybe you need someone who’s all about that family guy vibe. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Authenticity is key.

These athletes bring real stories and when those stories resonate with your brand, you get legends promoting your product, not just “sports celebrities.” 🎯✨

Think about the long-term impact of partnering with the top 10 Instagram athletes, they’re not just ‘famous now’; they’re timeless. 🌍🔥

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THE WORLD’S TOP 20 SPORTS ATHLETES ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026

was brought to you by Mau
Mau‘s a Senior Digital Marketer who delivers killer digital marketing strategy workshops and best social media training so good, even your grandma will get it.

5k+ smart marketers who love stealing good ideas receive Mau’s weekly email, while others tired of guessing use Mau’s Digital Marketing Plan and Social Media Plan templates.

Mau’s “Escaping Capitalism” trip 🌎 ✈️  is leaving questionable life choices on TikTok & YouTube