Two Spanish outfits, Barcelona and Real Madrid are fierce rivals on the pitch, competing each season for titles in La Liga and across Europe. They jockey back and forth to secure the sport’s biggest stars, with Barcelona signing Neymar and Luis Suarez the past two summers, while Real Madrid inked Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez. Their franchise players, Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real), have won the past seven FIFA player of the year awards, with Messi holding a 4-3 overall edge.
Barca and Real are two of the most valuable sports teams on the planet, with Real Madrid holding the current edge, worth $3.26 billion and ahead of every other pro sports franchise. Barcelona has bragging rights on the field after securing its second “treble” this past season when it won La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League this season. The margin between Real Madrid and Barcelona is razor thin in almost every area. It is no different with their social media profiles: Barca and Real are the most popular teams in the world. Barcelona has 100.9 million followers between Facebook and Twitter TWTR +0.69% with Real close behind at 99.8 million. The next closest squad is Manchester United, which is 29 million followers behind Real.
Soccer teams dominate the social media ranks, fueled by global icons like Ronaldo and Messi, who have their own massive followings. The eight most popular sports teams on social media all play soccer. The NBA, which has a strong global reach like soccer, has three of the top 12 teams, led by the Los Angeles Lakers with 25.6 million followers.
The NFL and MLB have global ambitions, but its social media fan bases pale in comparison to the world’s top soccer clubs. The NFL’s 32 teams have a combined following on Twitter and Facebook of 98 million, or less than both Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL’s top team on social media with 9.3 million followers. MLB is even further behind with only 66 million followers for its 30 teams. The New York Yankees are baseball’s top franchise with 9.8 million fans.
List of most popular sports teams on social media
Barcelona: 100.9 million followers (Facebook: 85.4 million; Twitter: 15.5 million)
In addition to the club’s massive following, Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Neymar are the second and third most popular athletes in the world on Facebook.
Real Madrid: 99.8 million followers (Facebook: 83.3 million; Twitter: 16.5 million)
Three-time FIFA Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo, has more Facebook fans than any other person on the planet with 104 million.
Manchester United: 70.9 million followers (Facebook: 65.4 million; Twitter: 5.5 million)
The front of Manchester United’s jersey is the most expensive real estate in soccer with General Motors paying $559 million over seven years to promote its Chevrolet brand.
Chelsea: 48.7 million followers (Facebook: 42.9 million; Twitter: 5.8)
Arsenal: 39 million followers (Facebook: 33 million; Twitter: 6 million)
Bayern Munich: 32.9 million followers (Facebook: 30.7 million; Twitter: 2.2 million)
Liverpool: 30.3 million followers (Facebook: 25.7 million; Twitter: 4.5 million)
AC Milan: 27.1 million followers (Facebook: 24.4 million; Twitter: 2.7 million)
Los Angles Lakers: 25.6 million followers (Facebook: 21.2 million; Twitter: 4.4 million)
Manchester City: 21.8 million followers (Facebook: 19.2 million; Twitter: 2.5 million)
Chicago Bulls: 20.1 million followers (Facebook: 17.9 million; Twitter: 2.3 million)
Miami Heat: 19.1 million followers (Facebook: 16 million; Twitter: 3.1 million)
