LAMINE YAMAL
Lamine Yamal: The King of Social Media in World Football
Published New:18/07/2025 - 10:19h
Updated New:24/08/2025 - 04:17h
Lamine Yamal has become the player with the most impact on social media. The Barcelona star has 37 million followers on Instagram, surpassing Haaland and setting trends.
The Influence of Social Media on the Popularity of Young Footballers: Football has experienced an unprecedented digital transformation in the last decade, where social media has completely redefined the way footballers build their personal brand and connect with fans.
This phenomenon has been particularly notable in the case of the Barcelona's superstar Lamine Yamal, who has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to generate digital influence that, in many cases, rivals and even surpasses that of established players with decades of experience.
The Barça "10" Breaks All Records on Social Media
Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana, at 17 years old, represents the perfect paradigm of how social media has transformed football popularity. His meteoric rise not only on the field, but also in the digital world, illustrates a new era where age is no barrier to achieving massive global influence.
The young FC Barcelona winger has achieved 36.7 million followers on Instagram and 36.1 million on TikTok, becoming the only footballer who maintains an almost perfect balance between both platforms. This figure is particularly impressive when you consider that it surpasses established players like Erling Haaland, who has 40.5 million combined followers.
TikTok has emerged as the platform where young footballers demonstrate their greatest competitive advantage. Lamine Yamal, with 36.1 million followers, leads this space among the youngest footballers, even surpassing Neymar in relative terms to his professional career.
Evolution of Lamine Yamal on Social Media
Yamal's evolution on social media has been truly meteoric. According to the data analyzed, his growth began modestly in January 2023 with just 500,000 followers on Instagram, but experienced significant explosions coinciding with key sporting milestones: his debut with Barcelona, his first goals, and especially his outstanding performance at Euro 2024.
Analysis of the TOP 10 Young Footballers on Social Media
The analysis of the most popular young footballers reveals fascinating patterns that reflect a generational shift in the construction of the sports personal brand. The data shows that players under 25 have developed more sophisticated digital strategies than their predecessors.
Among the most followed young footballers are:
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Vinicius Jr (24 years old): 53 million on Instagram, 8.2 million on TikTok
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Jude Bellingham (21 years old): 40.6 million on Instagram, 2.1 million on TikTok
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Lamine Yamal (17 years old): 36.7 million on Instagram, 36.1 million on TikTok
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Endrick (18 years old): 15 million on Instagram, 5.8 million on TikTok
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Gavi (20 years old): 13.2 million on Instagram, 3.5 million on TikTok
Engagement Rates: The Most Revealing Metric
A particularly interesting aspect of the analysis is that young footballers consistently outperform established legends in terms of engagement rate. While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi maintain engagement rates of 2.1% and 2.8% respectively, young talents reach figures above 4%.
Lamine Yamal leads this indicator with a 4.2% engagement rate, tied with Erling Haaland, which suggests that his audience is not only numerous, but highly active and involved. This data is crucial because it reflects the quality of the connection more than the number of followers, indicating that young footballers have developed more effective strategies to connect emotionally with their audiences.
The economic analysis reveals that digital influence translates directly into commercial value. While Cristiano Ronaldo can charge up to $3.5 million per sponsored post, and Lionel Messi around $2.6 million, young talents have developed highly valuable market niches.
Lamine, with an estimated value of $120,000 per post, represents an extraordinarily efficient investment for brands considering his engagement rate of 4.2% and his accelerated and constant growth.
The Lamine Yamal Era
The data shows that young footballers have achieved truly global audiences. Lamine Yamal, for example, gained more than 2 million followers in 24 hours after his goal against France in Euro 2024, demonstrating how sporting moments are instantly amplified on a global scale.
The analysis of the influence of social media on the popularity of young footballers reveals a paradigmatic transformation in the construction of sports fame. The new "10" of Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, emerges as the most notable example of this new era, where age does not constitute a barrier to achieving massive global influence.
