The distinct soccer love of the Germans is evident in social networks. A survey by the strategy consulting firm LSP Digital found that professional soccer players lead the German influencer rankings. Eight out of ten of the most web-influential Germans earn their money in the european top soccer leagues. Soccer player Mesut Özil turns out to be the most popular reaching a total of 49 million followers. Additionally impressive is the follower-growth: the fanbase of soccer player Sebastian Schweinsteiger, for example, grew by 60 percent over the last twelfth months; the fanbase of Toni Kroos even grew by 63 percent. Influencer and social media have become increasingly strong rivaling the the reach of regular tv networks when it comes to soccer matches of the "Nationalelf". For this survey, the following social networks were used: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Data points were taken on the 21st of June.
