20 Most Popular Footballers On Twitter 2015

Who would have ever imagined that any footballer - not the most fabled of raconteurs or intellects - would be able to command an audience of millions hanging on their every word? The stereotypical image of the footballer was always of knuckle-dragging neanderthals with IQs lower than their shirt numbers, and even with a wholesale change in the culture of the game, the controversies that sneak in concerning behaviour away from the pitch suggests very much that there might have been some truth in that assumption. But thanks to the rise of social media, players have shown their more engaging sides, sharing an insight not into their playing career that was never quite visible before, but also into their lives away from the game, and not captured by a paparazzi lens. And as a result, some of the world's best talents have picked up considerably more followers than some rock stars. And amazingly, it's not just people like Stan Collymore winding up entire fan groups in the interest of getting a few bites...

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Ballon D'Or winner, ridiculously prolific goal-scorer, not bad-looking... is there any question why the man crowned the greatest player in the world in 2014 wouldn't be the most talked about on social media?

Talk seems to swing around every transfer window that he's on the verge of a romantic return "home" to Man Utd, but with his ability still at its peak it's unlikely even the Red Devils would be able to afford him yet.