Virat Kohli’s Stardom Reaches NFL: Tom Brady Names Him Alongside Ronaldo And Messi

Virat Kohli remains one of the most followed sportspersons on social media, with a massive fan base across platforms. His popularity extends well beyond cricket, making him one of the most recognisable athletes worldwide. The former India captain has built a strong global brand through consistent performances, leadership, and commercial endorsements. His appeal has also grown with cricket’s rising footprint in markets between continents. The USA's most popular sport, the National Football League's (NFL) legend, Tom Brady, did not hesitate to name the Indian star while naming the athletes with the most Instagram followers.

Kohli finds himself third on the podium just after football stars Cristiano Ronaldo (over 668M) and Lionel Messi (over 509M) with a following of 274M. He has already surpassed NBA legends like Michael Jordan and LeBron James. The Indian batter is the most followed Asian personality on Instagram. This reach isn't just restricted to Instagram. The 37 year old holds the record as the most-followed cricketer, the most-followed Indian, and the most-followed Asian on X (formerly Twitter) with over 69.5 million followers. He is also the second most-followed athlete in the world on the platform, trailing only football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (110.1M).

Cricketer Virat Kohli has been named India's most valuable celebrity in the first-ever Fortune India–Interbrand Most Valuable Celebrities list. His brand value is estimated at ₹3,542 crore, making him the highest-ranked celebrity on the list. The rankings were released by Fortune India in partnership with Interbrand. The list measures a celebrity's brand value based on factors such as public engagement, trust, popularity, uniqueness, and overall influence.

The top 10 celebrities on the list are:

1. Virat Kohli
2. Shah Rukh Khan
3. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
4. MS Dhoni
5. Ranveer Singh
6. Akshay Kumar
7. Amitabh Bachchan
8. Sachin Tendulkar
9. Alia Bhatt
10. Allu Arjun.