Goal! Cristiano Ronaldo is now the most followed person on Instagram, having recently surpassed Selena Gomez. As of press time, Ronaldo has 144,338,650 followers to Gomez’s 144,321,029.
The news comes amid the 26-year-old pop star’s self-imposed exile from social media. “As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given,” Gomez wrote in her most recent Instagram post on September 23, prior to entering treatment for mental health issues.
And in an Instagram Live video around the same time, the Disney Channel alum said she pays no mind to her follower count. “None of this matters,” she observed. “I don’t care how many followers I have. I don’t. I don’t care. I could have none tomorrow. Makes no difference. It’s just a number and it’s insane so many people are obsessed with a number. It’s like, chill out.”
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Last month, Gomez told Elle she hasn’t been on the internet in “months” and she doesn’t even have her Instagram password. “The reason why is, it’s not real to me,” she explained. “I know my voice is very prominent, but I’m not careless with it. I’m selective … That’s my life. I’m living it the way I want to live it. But it’s about making a conscious effort—if I can have a moment to be with my friends, I’ll take that time. So I don’t have any of it. I had to make that decision.”
Earlier this month, the “Wolves” singer sought help in an East Coast psychiatric facility after a reported emotional breakdown. “Selena is currently resting and getting treatment for a series of panic attacks related to ongoing medical issues,” a source confirmed to Us Weekly at the time. “She’s definitely improving every day … She could come back soon. She’s not in, like, a 30-, 60-, 90-day program. Her treatment is open-ended.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, 33, has been in the headlines a lot over the past few months. In July, the soccer star announced he was leaving Real Madrid, his home team for nine years, for a nine-figure contract with Italian football club Juventus. Then, in September, he was accused of rape in a lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada. He has since denied the allegations and said that with a “clear conscience” he will “await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”
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