"Can't even win Insta d'Or" - Fans react as Lionel Messi's Barca IG post surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo's Nations League triumph post's likes

Cristiano Ronaldo has found himself at the center of snide remarks after it emerged that his archrival Lionel Messi’s Instagram post about his return to Camp Nou has garnered more likes than Ronaldo's Nations League celebration post.

Despite being in the twilight of their careers, Messi and Ronaldo continue to hit the headlines on the pitch and off it. Messi, who bid farewell to Camp Nou four years ago, made a surprise, late-night visit to the stadium, which is currently under renovation, on Sunday, November 9. It was a moment of ecstasy for the Blaugrana faithful worldwide as they relished the news of their legend’s visit to their home ground.

In what was a confirmation of his visit, Lionel Messi posted a carousel of pictures of his Barcelona return on Instagram, with the caption:

“Last night I returned to a place I miss with my soul. A place where I was immensely happy, where you guys made me feel a thousand times the happiest person in the world. I hope one day I can come back, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to...”

The post, which is currently the latest on his Instagram page, has racked up over 26 million likes at the time of writing, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Nations League celebration post with his teammates, which currently stands at 23.4 million.

Despite having more followers, Messi’s post is currently the most liked on Instagram. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s carousel of him lifting the FIFA World Cup and celebrating with his teammates leads the way for the most liked post on Instagram at 74.7 million.

Fans were quick to notice that Messi’s return post to Barcelona has outperformed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Nations League celebrations in terms of likes and many took to social media to throw shade at the Portuguese superstar.

A fan quipped:

“Pistiano can’t even win the Insta D’Or 🤣🤣🤣.”

Another wrote:

“Owning him on the internet too? Nah Messi is cruel 😭” “That Social media influencer is still getting cooked in his own territory 😭, a third chimed in. “Now who is the goat and most famous? 🤷‍♂️” another queried.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram battle

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are currently the two most followed individuals on Instagram. Messi has amassed 508 million followers, while Ronaldo leads with 667 million.

Despite having fewer followers, Lionel Messi’s post remains the most engaged on Instagram. In fact, two of the Argentine skipper’s posts rank among the top three most-liked in the platform's history, with both relating to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, Ronaldo holds the record for the most liked comment in Instagram history. His cheeky reply to Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid announcement has garnered over 5 million likes.

In another sign of Messi's dominance on the platform, none of Ronaldo’s posts has held the title of the most liked on Instagram. Remarkably, Messi’s current most-liked post has maintained its top spot for over 1,000 days—1,058 at the time of writing.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide