Social networks: Neymar first athlete to surpass 10m followers on Instagram

Neymar Jr (Brazilian international; FC Barcelona, Liga BBVA) became the first athlete to surpass 10m followers on the social network and photo- and video-sharing site Instagram on 30/07/2014.

Neymar Jr is the most followed athlete on Instagram, ahead of the Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo (7.1m followers) and the American basketball player LeBron James (6.4m followers).

The 22-year-old Brazilian player uses the social network to share private and public moments with his fans. Some of his photos promote his sports equipment supplier Nike (whose contract brings him approximately €5m per year) and his own clothing brand NJR. Neymar Jr has shared more than 2,240 photos and videos since he signed up for the social network on 07/03/2012.

Instagram is the most efficient social network for generating sales "based on the massive growth in their user base, how engaged their users are, and how activity on Instagram correlates with sales", according to the American company SumAll.

SumAll, which provides data analysis solutions for marketing agencies, published a study in December 2013…