After an unprecedented three-year run at the top of Instagram’s list of the most-followed people, Selena Gomez has officially surrendered her title to another international superstar. On Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo shot past Gomez to nab the top spot, Elle reports. As of Monday afternoon, Ronaldo had a whopping 144,326,556 followers, while Gomez’s own follower count clocked in at 144,315,970. As it stands, the difference between the two IG power users is a little over 10,000 people, which, in the grand scheme of things, is practically peanuts to those in Instagram’s top 10. If this shocking news mobilizes Selenators to round up a few new followers each for the singer and actor, she could easily retake her crown by the end of the day.
Ronaldo’s Insta-surge was likely spurred by the simple fact that he’s been much more visible than Gomez both on the social media platform and in the real world in recent months. Not only does the Portuguese soccer star upload photos and videos of his family, training regimen, and athletic feats several times a week but he’s also made headlines of late for his switch from Real Madrid to Northern Italy’s Juventus team. Those new followers, then, could be Juventus supporters who, a few games into his Turinese tenure, have finally deemed Ronaldo worthy of their follow.
Gomez, already an irregular Instagrammer, has been on a total social media hiatus for the past few weeks, and has also stayed out of the public eye while reportedly receiving treatment for an “emotional breakdown” earlier this month. At the end of September, after a short-lived burst of activity on the app, Gomez updated a selfie’s caption to read, “Taking a social media break. Again. 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. Kindness and encouragement only for a bit! Just remember—negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings. Obvi.”
That announcement came shortly after Gomez said in Elle’s October issue that she subscribes to a certain form of Luddism. “I’m not on the internet,” she said. “I haven’t been on the internet in months. I don’t have my password for Instagram. I have no apps on my phone, no photo editing apps. I have Peak, a brain game.” She explained, “The reason why is, it’s not real to me. I know my voice is very prominent, but I’m not careless with it. I’m selective. As far as my personal life, someone sees me having a glass of wine? I could give two shits. I’m not trying to hide. 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.”
