How World Cup stars Haaland, Vozinha and Lamine Yamal are turning viral fame into millions

They are the footballers of the moment on Instagram

Haaland, Vozinha and Lamine Yamal were the footballers whose value increased the most on Instagram during the 2026 World Cup, according to a report prepared by Francesc Pujol, a professor at the University of Navarra (Spain), who tracked the evolution on this social network of the more than 1,200 footballers in the tournament and its relationship with sporting performance, economic return and commercial return.

Erling Haaland gained 34.5 million followers, an increase of 85%, more than any other footballer in the tournament: from the 40.8 million he had when he arrived, he rose to 75.3 after eliminating Brazil and taking Norway to a historic quarterfinals.

Secondly is Vozinha, a 40-year-old goalkeeper who started the World Cup with only 46,000 followers. His saves against Spain and Argentina with debutants Cape Verde have earned him nearly 30 million new followers, a growth of more than 60,000%.

In third place is Lamine Yamal, with more than 14 million new followers. Leo Messi, by contrast, only ranks sixth despite his decisive role with Argentina. "His 8.5 million new followers represent an increase of less than 2% on an already existing base of 515 million, the second-largest personal brand, after Cristiano Ronaldo, and also the hardest to keep growing," says Pujol.

By national teams, Spain is the one that achieves the greatest combined increase in the value of its players on Instagram: 1.5 million followers on average per footballer and more than 36 million in total. Argentina, the other finalist, remains in second place in average gain, although its total figure surpasses Spain's because two world champions, Rodri and Unai Simón, do not have an Instagram account.

The rest of the podium is not occupied by the semifinalists France and England, who do not appear until seventh and eighth place: they are Norway and Cape Verde, both propelled by the individual pull of Haaland and Vozinha respectively.

Four Spanish footballers in the top 20

Luis de la Fuente's squad places four footballers among the twenty most revalued of the World Cup: Marc Cucurella, who adds to the tournament effect the boost from his signing by Real Madrid; Ferran Torres, whose only goal in the final confirms the commercial value of scoring on the final matchday; and Pau Cubarsí, the only defender present in this ranking along with Cucurella, who was also recognized as the best young player of the tournament.

The report also confirms that goals and attacking play generate much more brand value than saves or defensive actions. "Among the 100 footballers with the greatest increase in followers, 40 are forwards and they account for 131 million new followers, compared with the mere 38 million jointly amassed by the 26 goalkeepers and defenders present in that group, 3.4 times fewer," notes Francesc Pujol.

By age, the dynamic is similar: the World Cup mainly benefits young footballers and emerging stars. "These players find in the tournament their great showcase, while the percentage impact decreases with age, except in the case of great footballers in the final stretch of their career, who, thanks to their enormous follower base, continue to add significant figures in absolute terms," notes the professor from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Navarra.

The clubs that benefited the most

The report also extends the analysis to the club sphere. Manchester City records a combined increase of 37 million followers among its World Cup players, although 93% of that figure corresponds solely to Haaland.

They are followed by FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, with increases of more than 20 million, in their case distributed much more evenly among their footballers. Atlético de Madrid ranks seventh, and almost half of the elite clubs by generated impact play in the English Premier League.

At the competition level, the Premier League tops the league ranking, with a gain of 80.6 million followers among its 159 World Cup footballers. It is followed by Spain’s LaLiga, in second place, with almost 63 million new followers, a gap with the Premier that is notably smaller than the difference in the number of footballers contributed by both leagues.

In third place comes France's Ligue 1, driven by the weight of PSG and ahead of the German and Italian leagues. Fourth place is occupied by the Saudi league, which in recent years has signed established stars and legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo. Italy, for its part, absent as a national team from this World Cup, occupies a modest ninth position.