Skip to content
Search

Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks YouTube Record With New Channel

Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks YouTube Record With New Channel

Breaking records on the pitch must not have been enough for legendary futbol star Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese player, one of the richest athletes in the world and the most followed athlete on social media, is adding another title to his already heavily laden mantle: YouTube star.

On Wednesday, Ronaldo launched his first-ever YouTube channel, encouraging followers to subscribe and follow him on his “new journey.” There are only 12 videos on the channel — spanning from explaining how he handles stress in his career, exploring his passions, and rating his best Euro goals. But the announcement immediately made waves. He broke the record for the fastest channel to reach 1 million subscribers and then the fastest channel to reach 20 million followers. His numbers have continued to grow, and as of Thursday afternoon, he’s reached over 22.8 million subscribers. On Wednesday night, Ronaldo shared a video on social media bringing home a golden YouTube subscriber plaque to his family. 


Beyond the shockingly high numbers, Ronaldo’s online appeal makes sense. The athlete is best known for his storied career as a soccer forward on some of the world’s best teams. He’s played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and returned to Manchester United again before joining Saudi club Al-Nassr for a record-breaking $177 million a year. He’s also played on the Portugal National Team in the World Cup. His accomplishments seem endless, with multiple Premier League titles under his belt, alongside a Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and five Ballon d’Ors — a prestigious French award recognizing the best player of the year. 

Representatives for YouTube did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment, but Ronaldo’s new YouTube presence represents a growing trend of sports stars dabbling in online mediums. A little over a week ago, famed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady joined YouTube with his own channel — gaining over 47 thousand followers. Other athletes on the platform include Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Cam Newton, and Jimmy Butler. Ronaldo now joins the illustrious pack on top, with promises to share more content online.

More Stories

Get to know: The.97, Toronto's most prolific director
Mihailo Andic

Get to know: The.97, Toronto's most prolific director

With over two hundred music videos directed in a single year and a growing creative empire, The.97 has become a defining force in Canadian visual culture. His work with artists like Coi Leray, Fridayy, Chris Brown and Yung Bleu has earned international recognition, and his influence continues to expand far beyond Toronto. We sat down with him to talk about his journey, his creative discipline and what it takes to build a legacy in today’s visual landscape.

Rolling Stone: You recently did a panel with Gary Vee’s VaynerMedia at their New York office. That is a major crossover moment between creativity and business. How did that come together, and what was that experience like for you?

The.97: Gary DM’d me personally one day, completely out of the blue. It caught me off guard because I had followed his content for years, and seeing him recognize my work meant a lot. He invited me to his New York office, and that visit turned into something much bigger. I met Mike Boyd and the whole Vayner team, and it instantly felt like I was in a room full of people who understood brand storytelling and creative scale. After that, they brought me to Cannes for their events, and that experience shifted my mindset. You see how the biggest agencies in the world think and how they connect art and commerce seamlessly. It was validating and inspiring. It reminded me that Toronto creativity belongs on that same world stage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cops Who Falsified Warrant Used in Breonna Taylor Raid Didn’t Cause Her Death, Judge Rules

Cops Who Falsified Warrant Used in Breonna Taylor Raid Didn’t Cause Her Death, Judge Rules

A federal judge in Kentucky ruled that two police officers accused of falsifying a warrant ahead of the deadly raid that killed Breonna Taylor were not responsible for her death, The Associated Press reports. And rather than the phony warrant, U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson said Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was responsible for her death because he fired upon the police officers first — even though he had no idea they were police officers.

The ruling was handed down earlier this week in the civil rights violation case against former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany. The two were not present at the March 2020 raid when Taylor was killed. Instead, in 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland accused the pair (along with another detective, Kelly Goodlett) of submitting a false affidavit to search Taylor’s home before the raid and then conspiring to create a “false cover story… to escape responsibility” for preparing the phony warrant. 

Keep ReadingShow less
Meet the Nigerian Creators Going Global

Meet the Nigerian Creators Going Global

In June, Nigerian comedian Isaac Olayiwola — known as Layi Wasabi on TikTok and Instagram, where he has more than 3 million combined followers — took his first trip to London. There, he had his beloved skit character “the Law” endure U.K. hijinks as if it was his first time as well. In one skit, the Law — a soft spoken but mischievous lawyer who can’t afford an office — bumps into a local, played by British-Congolese creator Benzo The1st. In sitcom fashion, the Law breaks the fourth wall to wave at an invisible but audible studio audience as Benzo watches on, confused and offended. In another, Olayiwola links with longtime internet comedy creator and British-Nigerian actor Tolu Ogunmefun to have the Law intervene in the relationship of a wannabe gangster and his fed up girlfriend. In another, he goes to therapy complaining that he can’t find clients in London (“Everything seems to work here in the U.K.”).

Olayiwola wasn’t in London just to film content — it was a reconnaissance mission, too, sitting for interviews and testing ­­stand-up sets to see how his humor might translate. After breaking out as one of Lagos’ most popular creators, he’s set on becoming a top comic — not just in his region, but in the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Is a Hit. But Why Is the Game So Controversial?

‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Is a Hit. But Why Is the Game So Controversial?

The expectations for Black Myth: Wukong have been sky-high since its first reveal back in 2020, which teased an action RPG with breathtaking graphics, set in a world based on the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West” with a Dark Souls-style wrapping. After six years of development by independent studio Game Science, Black Myth: Wukong was released on Aug. 20 for PC and PS5, causing a stir in terms of sheer number of players amassed in just a few days.

At the time of writing, there are over 2.1 million concurrent players on Steam alone, as well as 132,000 viewers on Twitch watching dozens of streamers playing it. Black Myth: Wukong is, based on numbers alone, a rampant success. Beyond the stats, critical reception paints a mixed picture of a game mired in technical issues on the PC version, and multiple controversies surrounding both its development and the days around launch.

Keep ReadingShow less
Here Are the People Who Lost Millions Backing Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Here Are the People Who Lost Millions Backing Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Elon Musk took Twitter private in 2022, but he didn’t do it alone: the deal was backed by his wealthy allies in Silicon Valley, embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, and holding companies based in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to a court document ordered unsealed by federal judge on Tuesday, which were first seen by the public late Wednesday night.

The list of shareholders was made public thanks to a motion filed by nonprofit group the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press on behalf of independent tech journalist Jacob Silverman, who has argued that the public deserves to know “who owns an important site for public discourse and whether its free-speech fundamentalist majority shareholder is doing business with censorious dictatorships.” Musk’s company, now branded X Corp., had until Sept. 4 to comply with U.S. District Judge Susan Illston’s order to disclose the investors.

Keep ReadingShow less