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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, an Instagram and Sports Advertising Specialist 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:

Instagram is mugging you in broad daylight 🔫 while you thank them for the privilege.

Instagram algorithm shows your “viral” content to roughly the same audience who’d notice if you screamed to your office printer: Mark from marketing who does not even know your name. 😵

You own nothing 🤡 on your Instagram account.

You’re renting followers from landlords who charge you extra just to talk to your audience.

It’s like building a mansion on rented land: expensive, temporary, and the landlord can bulldoze it whenever they update their “community guidelines”. 🏠💥

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg is swimming in a pool filled with your ad spend. 🏊‍♂️💰

Your current situation:

❌ Zero follower data ownership 📊❌
❌ Organic reach = no-one watching! 🕵️‍♂️
❌ Ad costs rising faster than your therapy bills 📈💀
❌ Followers “export” button? Pure fantasy 🦄

The intervention your marketing needs:

✅ Stop being Instagram’s favourite ATM 🏧❌
✅ Own your audience 👑
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THE WORLD’S TOP 20 SPORTS ATHLETES ON INSTAGRAM IN 2026

20. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the world’s most popular sports athletes on Instagram with 51.8+ million followers.

@sachintendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar on Instagram is like if your childhood cricket idol decided to break the internet one perfectly timed selfie at a time 🏏📸.

Forget about epic centuries, this Indian man is now smashing Instagram with the finesse of a player who’s been hitting sixes since 1989 (yes, before most of us were born, you whippersnappers). 🎯

You’d think a Indian cricket legend with more records than a DJ’s playlist 🎧 would be all “serious face” in his posts, but nope, Sachin is on Instagram to give us a glimpse of his life beyond the pitch.

Whether he’s posting pictures of his “casual” workout routine 💪 (where he’s probably bench-pressing half the weight of the Indian team roster) or “stunning” family moments 📸 (we get it, Sachin, your family is perfect 🙄), he’s lowkey trying to remind us that he’s the GOAT 🐐 but with a lot of “look, I’m just like you, except I own a billion-dollar brand” vibes.

Tendulkar’s content on Instagram is a mix of cricket nostalgia (because of course, the man can’t go a day without reminding us of his 100 centuries 😎), behind-the-scenes moments that make you wish you had his life for a minute (except you probably wouldn’t survive his fitness regimen 🏃‍♂️), and the occasional #Ad that makes you wonder if he’s secretly moonlighting as a marketing guru 🧠.

As for his top 5 brand collaborations in the last few years, well, let’s just say the guy’s getting paid in endorsements more than he used to get runs:

• Adidas. 👟 Because no one can wear sneakers like Sachin (probably because they’re made of winning). He’s still running after records like he’s got a cricket ball in his hand, but now with more style points than you in your weekend gym wear. The new Adidas logo PNG.
• Amul. The “Amul Girl” might be the true queen of Indian dairy, but Sachin’s endorsement of Amul has made butter a bit more badass. No one’s ever made spreading butter on toast seem more epic — except maybe with a few cricket puns.
• BigBasket. 🛒 Yeah, because why not let the greatest batsman of all time show you how to do online grocery shopping? Imagine the sweet satisfaction of picking up veggies while Sachin’s batting lessons play in the background. Pure cricket nostalgia in a cart. 🥕🥦
• BMW. 🚗 Because when you’ve driven your entire career on sheer skill and hard work, you deserve to be driven in style. Sachin probably pulls up to meetings in a BMW so smooth, it makes his cricket shots look clumsy. The new BMW logo PNG
• Pepsi .🥤 Remember when Sachin was that “cool” kid advertising Pepsi in the ‘90s? Well, he’s still that guy just with a few extra zeros on his paycheck now. Oh, and probably more “carbonated wisdom” than you could fit in a bottle. The new Pepsi logo PNG.

Sachin Tendulkar’s Instagram is less about cricket and more about making us all feel like we’re underachieving in everything, especially when we try to compare our gym selfies to his casual 50-crunch challenge. So, go ahead, scroll through his Insta feed and try to not feel slightly inferior to this Indian guy who turned cricket into a lifestyle and Instagram into his personal brand runway. 👑📲

Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team.

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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 52.7+ 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 56.8+ 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. Stephen (Wardell) Curry

@stephencurry30

Stephen Curry is one of the most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 58.2+ 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

16. Vinicius Jr

@vinijr

Vinicius Jr is one of the world’s most-followed sports athletes on Instagram with 60+ 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

15. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

@iamzlatanibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most popular sports athletes on Instagram with 63.9+ 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 64.8+ 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 66.3+ 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 67.6+ 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.

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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 68.3+ 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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Each entry includes:

• Full name
• Link to the Instagram account
• Instagram followers count (as of January)
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• Gender (Female, male, lgbtqia+)

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This premium list is being used by top professionals working for some of the top global sports brands. A great list for:

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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. 🌍🔥

So, are you in or are you just scrolling through Instagram like a regular human? 📲 If you’re not diving in now, you’re missing out.

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

was brought to you by Mau
Mau‘s an Instagram and Sports Advertising Specialist who delivers killer digital marketing strategy workshops and best social media training so good, even your grandma will get it.

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