‘Most searched athlete’ of its 25-year history
Virat Kohli vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: Google has revealed the’most searched athlete’ of its 25-year history.
Former India skipper Virat Kohli and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo received special mentions from Google as the search engine giant released its list of the most searched topics in its 25-year-long history on Tuesday. Two of the most celebrated athletes in the world of sports, Kohli and Ronaldo, have remained busy rewriting history in the 2023 season. Since leaving Manchester United to explore Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has dominated the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr FC.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar netted his 50th goal of the 2023 season in Al-Nassr’s 5-2 win over bitter rivals Al Shabab at the Saudi King Cup. The 38-year-old scored the historic goal from close range with his right foot in the 74th minute of the encounter. The talismanic forward of the Al-Nassr side has achieved a stunning average of nearly a goal per game since he arrived in the oil-rich kingdom after the FIFA World Cup 2022. Goal-machine Ronaldo has also managed to find the back of the net on 10 occasions for Portugal in nine matches this year.
Defeating his arch-rival Lionel Messi, Portugal captain Ronaldo emerged as the most searched athlete on the Google list. “If the last 25 years have taught us anything, the next 25 will change everything. Here’s to the most searched-for moments of all time. #YearInSearch,” Google captioned its post on X, formerly known as Twitter. While Ronaldo was crowned the most searched athlete by Google, the search engine giant revealed that batting icon Kohli is the most searched cricketer this year.
Kohli, who is one of the greatest admirers of CR7, propelled Rohit Sharma’s Team India to the final of the ICC World Cup 2023. The 35-year-old shattered a plethora of records in the 2023 edition of the ICC event. Kohli-starrer Team India recorded a perfect ten at the One Day International (ODI) World Cup. However, the World Cup hosts were upstaged by Australia in the final of the showpiece event at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of 49 centuries with his century No. 50 against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-finals. He also finished the World Cup as the leading run-getter with 765 runs in 11 games.
THE WORLD’S TOP SPORTING ATHLETES:
Lionel Messi:
494+ million football fans on Instagram follow Lionel Messi. (commonly called “la pulga,” meaning the “little flea”).
A graduate of La Masia (Barcelona’s youth academy), Leo Messi plays for Inter Miami football club.
Leo Messi‘s unique ball-dribbling inventions and game-awareness skills have made him win many trophies, such as the latest 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the 2021 Copa America in Brazil, and his 8th Ballon d’Or in 2023.
His golden years at Barcelona FC, under the management of Pep Guardiola, epitomised him as the GOAT (greatest of all time).
On his first day at PSG in 2021, Messi’s t-shirt hit sales records for his new club, confirming his power as a brand.
The late controversial and iconic Argentinian footballer Diego Armando Maradona once said:
“The ball stays glued to his foot. I’ve seen great players in my career, but I’ve never seen anyone with Messi’s ball control.“
The GOAT debate (Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo) has ended after his successful 2022 World Cup, which crowned him as the winner. Sadly, the goat debate will no longer fill social media platforms with millions of comments from raving fans.
Cristiano Ronaldo still possesses a record many professional football analysts believe may take him above Leo Messi: Cristiano has scored far more decisive goals (goals that win titles).
One of the most followed footballers on Instagram, Leo Messi sadly collaborates with unhealthy brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade (sugary drinks), Lays (chips), Budweiser (alcoholic beverage) and video gaming companies that make kids addicted to consoles (PUBG, Call of Duty Warzone 2, Sorare).
It is shameful for a guy of this calibre.
Other “brand ambassador deals” include Adidas, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock Cafe, Apple TV, Saudi Tourism Authority (visitsaudi), Louis Vuitton, Socios.com, and Bitget (A crypto exchange platform)
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (The Rock):
394+ million wrestling followers on Instagram follow Dwayne Douglas Johnson (The Rock).
Samoan descent, Dwayne Douglas Johnson (The Rock) is a Californian superstar who has achieved it all.
Every industry The Rock touches is a win: American football, wrestling, acting, movie production, etc.
Dwayne Johnson is a great and fun character to follow on his Instagram account.
The Rock has featured in global marketing campaigns for brands such as Under Armour and others.
Neymar jr (@neymarjr):
217+ million football fans on Instagram follow Brazilian elite football player Neymar Jr.
Is Neymar Jr. a luxury, high-fashion top model? a rapper, celebrity, a singer or elite football player?
A bit of everything: the media has catapulted Neymar as the “always crying” diva, but surely Neymar has shown the world he is a talented footballer. The MSN (Messi-Suarez-Neymar) at Barcelona F.C. will always be remembered as one of the most dangerous forward threesomes in football history.
After four seasons at Barcelona F.C. and six seasons at PSG, Neymar Jr. is currently playing as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
Neymar’s fans love to watch his football skills, tricks, fashion style, football goals and fun moments. He has played for the Brazilian football team, Barcelona F.C., and Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Neymar is one of the world’s most-followed footballers on Instagram and one of the world’s top 10 most-followed footballers on TikTok.
Neymar has collaborated with top brands around the world. Some of the most popular sponsorship deals and endorsements Neymar has worked with include Nike, Puma and Epic Games (the developer of the popular online game Fortnite).
“Neymar is undoubtedly the best player in Brazil. He deserves to play in the best team in the world; next to the best player in the world, Messi. He is a very good player with great quality and a great future. I have no doubt. For me, Neymar is a genius”
Pelé
LeBron James (@kingjames):
159+ million basketball fans on Instagram follow NBA Basketball player LeBron James
Did you ever imagine someone was ever going to be at the level of Michael Jordan?
LeBron has surely impressed the whole basketball world.
LeBron James’ face has been used by top brands around the world, including Nike, TNT, Samsung, Powerade, GMC Hummer (a SUV car), and Ladder (a health and wellness company).
However, it is embarrassing that he has helped promote unhealthy brands such as Sprite and McDonald’s. LeBron James co-owns Blaze Pizza franchises across the U.S.A.
Karim Benzema:
76+ million football fans on Instagram follow Karim Benzema.
Karim Benzema is a French professional football striker who was in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo for many years, but since Ronaldo left Real Madrid F.C., Karim Benzema has become the biggest star for the Spanish team and is considered one of the best strikers in the last decade.
Benzema secured his Ballon d’Or in October 2022.
Karim currently plays as a striker for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.
Some of the brands that the striker endorses include Adidas, Hyundai, EA Sports, Bwin and French companies like LCL (Le Crédit Lyonnais) and SFR (Société française du radiotéléphone).
