Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, is renowned as one of the most successful athletes globally. As a forward for Al-Nassr FC, he has amassed a staggering 622 million followers, making him one of the most followed personalities on social media. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, a prominent Argentine international, falls slightly behind with over 500 million Instagram followers, despite being widely considered the best player in football’s history.

Notably, among the 585 individuals Ronaldo follows, only one Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge, features in his list. During a recent Webinar hosted by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), Kipchoge expressed his admiration for Ronaldo. When questioned about the world’s greatest footballer, Kipchoge unequivocally endorsed Ronaldo, highlighting his unparalleled dedication and skill even at 35 years of age.

Kipchoge himself is no stranger to the football world, having visited the Tottenham Hotspur training ground in 2018 and engaged with players like Dele Ali and Serge Aurier. Looking ahead, the 39-year-old Kipchoge is set to kick off his 2024 season at the Tokyo Marathon, where he will vie for victory alongside fellow Kenyan athletes Benson Kipruto and Vincent Ngetich. In the women’s category, Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Sifan Hassan is the frontrunner, joined by Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru and other notable female road race athletes such as Lonah Salpeter, Tigist Abayechew, and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri.