For generations athletes have been our role models, inspiring and influencing us. Today they primarily influence us through social media channels such as Instagram.
2,6 million people follow the men’s German national football team on Instagram alone. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup the reach of the team (@dfb_team) as well as the individual accounts of the players gained reach (also see the infographic “King(s) of Soccer” by Kathinka Arlit).
The ongoing Women’s Football World Cup 2019 which is taking place in France is a fantastic opportunity to observe the previously mentioned increase of influential reach on Instagram. The reach of all European national team players totals at 8,5 million followers on Instagram. In comparison - the most watched game during the Women’s World Cup was the match between Germany and Nigeria with ‘only’ 6,4 million viewers.
The Netherlands are leading the way across European football teams on Instagram with 2,25 Million followers, followed by France (1,85 million) and England (1,82 million). The Instagram accounts of Germany’s national players collectively come to a total reach of 873k followers, which might appear small compared to the previous example, but also proves to be more impactful than the official women’s national teams handle that encompasses only 109k followers (@dfb_frauenteam).
Leading the way with 1 million followers Dutch Lieke Martens is the most influential European football player participating in the 2019 World Cup, followed by Frances Eugenie Le Sommer and Englands Toni Duggans with more than 300k followers each. Germany ranks only 15th place with Melanie Leupolz and her 142k followers on the social platform.