Gradually, despite everything, the number of users joining the Instagram social network is increasing all over the globe. The introduction of expanded functionality, improving the quality of content, and the constant development of the platform leads to people of all ages becoming active users of Instagram.
Athletes, actors, and other celebrities actively engage with their fans, and their posts often generate strong reactions from followers, racking up millions of likes. This is most often associated with major world events, such as winning the World Cup or other memorable moments.
Highlights:
- 14 out of 20 posts with the highest number of likes belong to soccer players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Thus, the athletes occupy 70% of the rating with a total of more than 500 million likes.
- Only 4 posts published in 2023 were included in the rating. All other posts are of earlier dates. The oldest post is dated 2018.
The table below shows the most-liked posts by number of likes on the Instagram social network (statistics data current as of December 9, 2023).
| Account | Post Description | Number of Likes | Number of Comments | Average Number of Likes | Date Posted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
Lionel Messi Lifting The World Cup Trophy | 75,623,950 | 2,089,992 | 3,392,206 | 12/18/2022 |
| 2 | Chris Godfrey @world_record_egg |
A Plain Old Egg | 60,192,823 | 3,922,361 | 60,192,823 | 01/04/2019 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
Messi Sleeping With FIFA Trophy | 54,703,978 | 704,599 | 3,392,206 | 12/20/2022 |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano |
Ronaldo and Messi Playing Chess | 42,750,606 | 518,120 | 7,617,574 | 11/19/2022 |
| 5 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
Messi on an Airplane With FIFA Trophy | 41,974,198 | 489,980 | 3,392,206 | 12/19/2022 |
| 6 | Liz 6 @jiangzhibin24 |
Reel of a sunset | 34,529,133 | 117,000 | 72,959 | 08/05/2023 |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano Al Nassr FC @alnassr |
Cristiano Ronaldo Joins Al Nassr FC | 34,430,728 | 1,310,984 | 12/30/2022 | |
| 8 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
Messi Celebrating Victory in Argentina | 34,425,429 | 258,908 | 3,392,206 | 12/21/2022 |
| 9 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano |
Cristiano After Portugal’s Elimination | 34,180,954 | 1,589,540 | 7,617,574 | 12/11/2022 |
| 10 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
Ronaldo and Messi Playing Chess, Part 2 | 32,859,604 | 338,302 | 3,392,206 | 11/19/2022 |
| 11 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano Georgina Rodríguez @georginagio |
Ronaldo Is Having Twins | 32,409,322 | 473,786 | 10/28/2021 | |
| 12 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano |
Post in Remembrance of Pelé | 32,322,352 | 230,618 | 7,617,574 | 12/29/2022 |
| 13 | XXXTentacion @xxxtentacion |
Final Post Before His Death | 32,350,267 | 10,794,175 | 32,350,267 | 05/19/2018 |
| 14 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
After 2022 FIFA World Cup match against Croatia | 29,715,806 | 443,533 | 3,392,206 | 12/14/2022 |
| 15 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano |
Cristiano Ronaldo Joined to the Al Nassr FC | 27,933,567 | 274,533 | 7,617,574 | 01/03/2023 |
| 16 | Cristiano Ronaldo @cristiano |
Post of friendly between PSG and Riyadh XI | 27,873,926 | 241,942 | 7,617,574 | 01/19/2023 |
| 17 | Zendaya @zendaya |
Happy Birthday Post to Tom Holland | 26,304,255 | 219,358 | 6,184,280 | 06/01/2022 |
| 18 | Lionel Messi @leomessi |
Post in Remembrance of Pelé | 26,033,392 | 136,408 | 3,392,206 | 12/29/2022 |
| 19 | Selena Gomez @selenagomez |
Violet Chemistry | 25,870,759 | 353,876 | 5,551,897 | 03/14/2023 |
| 20 | Tom Holland @tomholland2013 |
Meme "Spider-Man pointing" | 25,205,773 | 136,318 | 4,208,173 | 02/23/2022 |
1. Lionel Messi Lifting The World Cup Trophy
Date: December 18, 2022
Number of likes: 75.6 million
This is the most popular post on Instagram at the end of 2023, consisting of ten photographs that will forever go down in football history. In the description of the post, Messi thanks his family, loved ones and everyone who supported him. Together with the team, Messi rejoices at the victory of the Argentina national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The final match turned out to be very tense – both Argentina and France scored three goals. The result of the match was determined by a series of post-match penalties.
The last time Argentina won the FIFA World Cup was in 1986. Messi wrote that for a long time he could not believe that his old dream had come true and the long-awaited victory had become a reality. Even though the championship ended at the end of 2022, the post is still gradually gaining likes.
2. A Plain Old Egg
Date: January 4, 2019
Number of likes: 60.2 million
This post is notable for its simplicity, as it features a simple chicken egg. The goal of the post was explicitly stated in the post description and was to break Kylie Jenner's record of more than 18 million reactions to a post with a picture of her daughter Stormi.
Thanks to the large number of reposts on various social networks, including Twitter, the goal was achieved very quickly. For almost 4 years, the post was the most popular post on the social network Instagram until Messi displaced it from the top spot in the rankings. The @world_record_egg account belongs to Chris Godfrey, an advertising agency employee living in London.
3. Messi Sleeping With FIFA Trophy
Date: December 20, 2022
Number of likes: 54.7 million
This post is a logical continuation of the first post from the rankings, where Messi lifts the World Cup trophy in Qatar. Having put in an incredible amount of effort, Messi and his team can deservedly enjoy the victory. It's time for a little rest, but Messi decided not to let go of the much-anticipated award.
The post consists of three photos, where the footballer sleeps in bed in the arms of the World Cup and incredibly happy with the result of the championship in Qatar. The trophy consists of pure gold and is valued at about 20 million dollars.