As we head into 2023, international football is having a moment in time with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leading this round-up of the top 10 most-liked Instagram posts that captured our “hearts” — on the app, at least.
Yes, Instagram — the app that, despite our better judgment, we just can’t seem to put down. And with the app that we can’t put down, there’s the celebrities we can’t stop following, and ultimately, the posts we like, and scroll, and like, and scroll, and like some more. It’s a vicious cycle — but one that shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
On the plus side, the photos below, those that have earned more of our “likes” than any others — are mostly things worth celebrating. Happy moments, like pregnancy announcements. Wedding pictures. Dyed hair reveals. Honestly, the only big difference between this group of photos and your friend’s photos are a few professional photographers, and, of course, millions and millions of dollars. There’s also a stock photo of an egg. So, let’s get into it, shall we? We shall.
The 10 Most-Liked Instagram Posts of All Time
1.) @leomessi lifting the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy
75.7 million likes
Argentina’s hero, Lionel Messi, led the national team to a memorable victory is a fierce final match again France on December 18th in Doha. He shared an emotional and inspiring post upon lifting the trophy for his country, and set the record for the most-liked post in Instagram history!
60.2 million likes
Many, many moons ago — 2019 — Kylie Jenner and her baby Stormi had the most-liked photo (18 million) on Instagram, which inspired an advertising exec to see if an egg, this egg above, could get more likes. It worked. And it was working till December 20, 2022, when Messi dethroned this world famous self portrait.
3.) @leomessi in bed with his FIFA World Cup 2022 tropy
54.7 million likes
There’s no stopping this man – his latest upload, shots of him snuggling up in bed with his coveted gold, gathered ~45 million likes in under 15 hours. At this stage, whether you’re a football fan or not, you’ve got to be following La Pulga.
42.8 million likes; 32.9 million likes
The latest entrant to the top liked Instagram posts is a common upload featuring football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing a game of chess, sponsored by fashion giant Louis Vuitton – the posts racked up these likes in under 24 hours!
5.) @leomessi‘s post with the ultimate trophy
42.1 million likes
This post needs no caption (literally)! With this latest upload, the G.O.A.T now has five of the 10 most liked posts on Instagram in the world currently. Now that’s another record for the books.
34.6 million likes
@jiangzhibin24 broke the Internet in 2023 with the sunset reel. The vibrant sunset is the most-liked reel/video post on Instagram. We can’t help but watch the stunning sunset reel on loop.
7.) @leomessi celebrating the 2022 FIFA World Cup win in Argentina
34.4 million likes
Lionel Messi and Argentina celebrated victory in the 2022 World Cup final on parade in Buenos Aires after beating France on penalties, with the great battle between Messi and Mbappé. In addition, iconic players like Dybala, Di María, De Paul, Julián Álvarez, Enzo and many more participated in the celebration.
34.4 million likes
Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr announced Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing on December 31, 2022. Ronaldo’s Instagram post about joining the Saudi club garnered millions of likes from the seven continents of the world— North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South America and Antarctica. Days after Al Nassr announced Ronaldo’s signing, their following on the social media platform skyrocketed from just over 800,000 to over 14 million and counting.
9.) @cristiano‘s final FIFA World Cup 2022 post
34.2 million likes
Cristiano Ronaldo had millions cheering him on during the World Cup 2022, reportedy his last outing for Portugal. But when they were ousted from making it to the finals, his fans rallied on social media, especially Instagram, as the world watched one of the greatest footballers of our time miss out on the final opporunity to bring home the ultimate trophy. Nevertheless, he’s still an icon for this generation!
The most-followed person on Instagram comes in second to the app itself — and he’ll again have to settle for silver when it comes to the platform’s second most-liked post: the egg still has millions on him. But we’re sure CR7 doesn’t mind — this happy post from October 2021 is a celebration alongside Georgina Rodriguez, announcing pregnancy and twins with the football star.
Hey, while you’re here, check out the most-followed accounts on Instagram.
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