Retired Sport Stars Potential Earnings on Instagram
Throughout history, sports fans have experienced a spectrum of emotions when it comes to sports stars retiring. Indeed, it’s a sad time for us all when our favourite centre back, batsman, or shooting guard decides to hang his kit up for good.
However, today, social media allows us to keep up with what our favourite sporting legends are doing, with many former stars using platforms like Instagram to keep fans posted.
Inspired by their social media success, GolfSupport.com decided to look into how much these stars are potentially making on Instagram - if their posts were sponsored.
To do this, we surveyed 3,918 crazed sports fans to find out who they believe to be the top 10 retired legends from Football, American Football, Basketball, Cricket, Rugby and Golf. We were then able to estimate how much per post each of these sporting legends could potentially earn based on their Instagram followers. *
Football
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| David Beckham | 64,800,000 | £202,824.00 |
| Zinedine Zidane | 27,600,000 | £86,388.00 |
| Ronaldo | 17,500,000 | £54,775.00 |
| Carles Puyol | 10,700,000 | £33,491.00 |
| Patrice Evra | 7,200,000 | £22,536.00 |
| Rio Ferdinand | 4,400,000 | £13,772.00 |
| Luís Figo | 3,300,000 | £10,329.00 |
| Thierry Henry | 2,700,000 | £8,451.00 |
| Jamie Carragher | 1,400,000 | £4,382.00 |
| Gary Neville | 1,100,000 | £3,443.00 |
Potentially earning the most per sponsored post is David Beckham. With over 64 million followers, his estimated potential earnings are £202,824 per sponsored post. The co-owner of Inter Miami CF and Salford City keeps his followers up-to-date with modelling shots, football throwbacks, and family pictures aplenty.
Next on the list is Zinedine Zidane, potentially earning an estimated £86,388 per sponsored post. The attacking midfielder keeps his Instagram up-to-date with pictures of his family and his work as a manager at Real Madrid.
Considered one of the “greatest players of all time”, the Brazilian striker Ronaldo could potentially earn an estimated £54,775 per sponsored post. This footie player loves to post about his travels and share photos of his wife and kids.
American Football
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| Deion Sanders | 1,500,000 | £4,695.00 |
| Michael Strahan | 1,300,000 | £4,069.00 |
| Pat McAfee | 830,000 | £2,597.90 |
| Michael Irvin | 472,000 | £1,477.36 |
| Calvin Johnson | 357,000 | £1,117.41 |
| Ed Reed | 349,000 | £1,092.37 |
| Troy Aikman | 245,000 | £766.85 |
| Brian Urlacher | 177,000 | £554.01 |
| Lance Briggs | 64,800 | £202.82 |
| Kurt Warner | 55,900 | £174.97 |
Potentially earning the most per sponsored post is Deion Sanders, with his 1.5 million followers potentially earning him an estimated £4,695 per sponsored post. Better known as “Prime Time”, Sanders likes to keep his followers motivated with inspirational quotes and throwback shots.
Following closely behind and in potential second place is Michael Strahan, potentially earning an estimated £4,069 per sponsored post. The TV host likes to keep his 1.3 million followers up-to-date with throwback shots and work projects.
The former American football punter turned professional wrestler, Pat McAfee, can potentially earn an estimated £2,597 per sponsored post.
Basketball
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 17,900,000 | £56,027.00 |
| Allen Iverson | 8,600,000 | £26,918.00 |
| Magic Johnson | 2,500,000 | £7,825.00 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 965,000 | £3,020.45 |
| Reggie Miller | 436,000 | £1,364.68 |
| Penny Hardaway | 401,000 | £1,255.13 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 356,000 | £1,114.28 |
| Grant Hill | 299,000 | £935.87 |
| Bill Russell | 219,000 | £685.47 |
| James Worthy | 27,900 | £87.33 |
Potentially earning the most per sponsored post is NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, with his 17.9 million followers potentially earning him an estimated £56,027 per sponsored post. Known for his incredible talent and being the tallest and heaviest player of all time, Shaq likes to keep his fans updated with his current work ventures and chatty videos.
In potential second place is Allen Iverson, with his 8.6 million followers potentially earning him an estimated £26,918. Known for being the “greatest and most influential” NBA player, Iverson likes to keep his fans updated with throwbacks.
Next on the list is Magic Johnson, potentially earning an estimated £7,825 per sponsored post. Magic likes to keep his fans updated with pictures of his friends and family.
Cricket
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 27,200,000 | £85,136.00 |
| AB de Villiers | 12,200,000 | £38,186.00 |
| Kevin Pietersen | 1,900,000 | £5,947.00 |
| Shane Warne | 1,100,000 | £3,443.00 |
| Freddie Flintoff | 923,000 | £2,888.99 |
| Brian Lara | 495,000 | £1,549.35 |
| Wasim Akram | 356,000 | £1,114.28 |
| Ricky Ponting | 290,000 | £907.70 |
| Michael Vaughan | 282,000 | £882.66 |
| Jacques Kallis | 64,700 | £202.51 |
Potentially earning the most per sponsored post is Sachin Tendulkar, with his 27.2 million followers potentially earning him an estimated £85,136 per sponsored post. Known for being the “greatest batsman in history” Tendulkar likes to keep his fans inspired with motivating captions.
Next is AB de Villiers, potentially earning an estimated £38,186 per sponsored post. The South African former cricketer shocked fans when he decided to retire due to a series of injuries but keeps his loyal fans up-to-date with life snippets showing a deep love for the sport even now.
In potential third place is Kevin Pietersen, with his 1.9 million followers potentially earning him an estimated £5,947 per sponsored post. The former batsman likes to keep his fans informed on his love for Golf and his travels.
Rugby
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| Brian O’Driscoll | 323,000 | £1,010.99 |
| Sam Warburton | 144,000 | £450.72 |
| Richie McCaw | 94,200 | £294.85 |
| Will Greenwood | 62,800 | £196.56 |
| Schalk Brits | 62,400 | £195.31 |
| Peter Stringer | 54,800 | £171.52 |
| Jonathan Davies | 53,600 | £167.77 |
| Jonny Wilkinson | 50,600 | £158.38 |
| Wyatt Crockett | 18,200 | £56.97 |
| Delon Armitage | 17,700 | £55.40 |
Potentially earning the most per sponsored post is Brian O’Driscoll, with his 323,000 followers potentially earning him an estimated £1,010 per sponsored post. The Irish former player likes to post about his love for Golf and his wife.
Next on the list is Sam Warburton, potentially earning an estimated £450 per sponsored post. The 32-year-old Welshman likes to post about his normal life with his family.
Following shortly behind is Richie McCaw, with his sponsored posts potentially earning him an estimated £294 apiece. The former captain of the All Blacks likes to post about his travels and sporting activities.
Golf
*Current Senior Golfing Legends
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| Jack Nicklaus | 429,000 | £1,342.77 |
| John Daly | 301,000 | £942.13 |
| Greg Norman | 175,000 | £547.75 |
| Gary Player | 100,000 | £313.00 |
| Miguel Ángel Jiménez | 43,200 | £135.22 |
| Vijay Singh | 18,700 | £58.53 |
| Tom Watson | 17,900 | £56.03 |
| Colin Montgomerie | 14,100 | £44.13 |
| Steve Stricker | 12,200 | £38.19 |
| Bernhard Langer | 11,800 | £36.93 |
Potentially earning the most per sponsored post is Jack Nicklaus, with his 429,000 followers potentially earning him an estimated £1,342 per sponsored post. Known for being one of the “greatest Golfers of all time”, Nicklaus likes to post all things Golf, showing his deep love for the sport he thrives in.
In potential second place is John Daly with his 301,000 followers potentially earning him an estimated £942 per sponsored post. Known primarily for his driving distance off the tee, Daly likes to keep his fans up-to-date with his love for golf and pride for his son, John Patrick Daly II, who is following in his footsteps.
Next is Greg Norman who could potentially earn an estimated £547 per post if his posts were sponsored. The Australian entrepreneur likes to share photos of his family and keeps in touch with his fans.
Tennis
| Sport Stars | Followers | Potentially Earning |
| Maria Sharapova | 4,100,000 | £12,833.00 |
| Anna Kournikova | 1,600,000 | £5,008.00 |
| Caroline Wozniacki | 1,400,000 | £4,382.00 |
| Dominika Cibulková | 503,000 | £1,574.39 |
| Tomáš Berdych | 357,000 | £1,117.00 |
| Andre Agassi | 263,000 | £823.19 |
| Lucie Šafářová | 201,000 | £629.13 |
| Janko Tipsarević | 126,000 | £394.38 |
| David Ferrer | 121,000 | £378.73 |
| Marcos Baghdatis | 31,200 | £97.66 |
In potential first place is Maria Sharapova, potentially earning an estimated £12,833 per sponsored post. Followed by the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts, the Russian former Tennis player likes to post on food, fitness, and fashion.
Next is Anna Kournikova, potentially earning an estimated £5,008 per sponsored post. Kournikova likes to keep fans updated with photos of her children, her famous partner Enrique Iglesias and her dogs.
Potentially placing third is Caroline Wozniacki with her 1,400,000 potentially earning an estimated £4,382 per sponsored post.
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Methodology:
*To work out the average potential estimated earnings, GolfSupport.com used the formula that every follower is worth approximately £0.00313. This figure was multiplied by the number of followers per account. These are estimations only, on the premise that the posts are sponsored/ads.
**Data was extracted from Instagram on the November 16th, 2020. All data was correct as of this date.
Feature image credit: Barry Salmons / Shutterstock
