The most followed footballers on Facebook ranked with Cristiano Ronaldo fans hardest hit by global outage

FACEBOOK users were locked out of their accounts last night as the social media giant went down for nearly six hours.

The global outage, also including WhatsApp and Instagram, had Facebook scrambling to fix the issue while users flocked to Twitter.

People were unable to contact their loved ones, while fans also couldn't check in with their favourite footballers.

Millions follow the game's biggest stars on the platform, giving them a chance to feel closer to their favourite players.

But who has the most Facebook followers? SunSport takes a look.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - 150m

Unsurprisingly, Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo comes out on top.

The Portuguese, 36, shares plenty of on-field action; as well as insights into his private life with partner Georgina Rodriguez and his four kids.

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2. Lionel Messi - 104m

Where Ronaldo is mentioned, Lionel Messi's name is rarely far from people's lips.

He may have won more Ballons d'Or than CR7, but Messi has to be content for second place here - despite his account featuring star-studded images alongside Kylian Mbappe, Neymar... and Ed Sheeran.

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3. Neymar - 87m

Neymar hasn't quite toppled the Messi/Ronaldo duopoly - but the Brazilian boasts an enormous fanbase.

The PSG star's page is filled with commercial posts for brand partners including Puma, eFootball 2022 and Qatar Airways - but fans still lap up his content.

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4. David Beckham - 55m

It may be nearly a decade since David Beckham hung up his boots, but Golden Balls is still adored online.

Becks isn't averse to a sponsored post - but he also loves to share pictures from various red carpet dos and alongside other celebs including Noel Gallagher.

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5. Ronaldinho - 52m

Like Beckham, Ronaldinho has long been retired from the beautiful game.

But fans still love to see what the Brazilian is up to - as he shares pictures from his travels as well as throwback goals and highlights.

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6. Karim Benzema - 40.8m

French forward Karim Benzema comes in next, illustrating the size of the Real Madrid fanbase online and his popularity with them.

The 33-year-old likes to post pictures of himself on and off the pitch, as well as links to his YouTube channel.

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7. Kaka - 40.1m

Brazilian legend Kaka makes the list despite being edged by former Real Madrid team-mate Benzema.

From the same vintage as Ronaldinho, Kaka treats fans to throwback pics, current family photos and of course the odd brand post.

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