Football is nothing without fans. The best-forgotten COVID-19 era, when games were conducted in empty stadiums across the globe in adherence with health guidelines, turned this cliché into an undeniable truth.

In the modern age of globalisation and improved technology, a club’s fanbase is no longer restricted to the surrounding area. Social media is the root of many evils, namely the abhorrent abuse to which players are subjected after each match, but it does offer a rough guide to the size of each team’s wider group of supporters.

The distribution of users across each social network can also be revealing. While more than a quarter of Facebook’s database is over 45, the largest demographic of TikTok users are aged between 18 and 24. Here are the football clubs with the largest combined social media presence and how many followers they boast on each platform.

15

Flamengo – 71 million

Brazilian Serie A

The only side in the top 15 from outside of Europe, Flamengo usurped Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr who previously held this spot. An increase of 7.8% to their following across all social media platforms helped push them into the top 15. The majority of their following comes from Instagram, with over 25m users.

Despite their status as the most popular club in Brazil, Flamengo hadn’t won the Serie A title for five years until lifting their eighth back in 2025. They have also won a record 40 Campeonato Carioca titles, including the last three on the bounce.

14

AC Milan – 81 million

Serie A

Christian Pulisic has become one of the superstar names at AC Milan and while he’s been influental on the pitch he’s also opened up access to millions of new eyeballs on the other side of the Atlantic for the Rossoneri. One of Italy’s most successful clubs have fallen from grace but remain extremely popular in world football.

Milan’s fanbase in the US increased by 50%, according to one study, and general interest in Serie A climbed 27% across America. In terms of tangible social media users, the seven-time European champions gained more than seven million followers across all social media platforms in the last year.

13

Inter Milan – 82 million

Serie A

Inter Milan were born as an offshoot of AC Milan in 1908 to appeal to a wider audience. The second club in the fashion capital of the world was formed without any restrictions on foreign players, which existed in the red and black half of the city. “It shall be called Internazionale because we are brothers of the world,” the founding members declared.

Fittingly, it was under an Argentine coach born to Spanish parents who grew up in Casablanca – which was under French rule at the time – that Inter’s popularity exploded. Mastering the controversial catenaccio style, a typically physical and defensive approach, Helenio Herrera steered the Nerazzurri to three Serie A titles and a pair of European Cups in the 1960s.

12

Atletico Madrid – 91.4 million

La Liga

It may be for the best that Atletico Madrid’s former owner, Jesus Gil y Gil, passed away before the social media age. One can only imagine what this character – who celebrated the 1996 double win by riding around the pitch on an elephant and was once caught on live TV fighting the director of another club – would have posted to the world.

Diego Simeone is a combustible character on the touchline but pales in comparison to Gil’s outbursts. While his online output is reliably tame, the former club captain is the transformative force behind Atletico’s unprecedented period of success, leading his team to two titles and a pair of Champions League finals, which has spawned more than 90 million social media followers.

11

Tottenham – 112 million

Premier League

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Before their Europe League triumph, the last time Tottenham Hotspur won a trophy, Twitter – as it was then known – was less than two years old and neither Instagram nor TikTok had launched. Despite the absence of any silverware for over a decade and a half, Spurs have fostered a swollen following through a cleverly targeted approach.

Many point to the influence of Son Heung-min and the hordes of South Korean fans he attracted while at the club. There’s no doubt that Son’s popularity helped – Spurs probably wouldn’t have embarked upon a pre-season tour of Southeast Asia without one of the greatest players in the continent’s history in their squad – but Tottenham’s online support is not restricted to South Korea. The club’s official Korean X page has less than 60,000 followers.

Spurs have made an enormous dent in the youthful market of TikTok. More than 40 million users follow the club’s official account, which is clearly run by a group of creative content creators, producing topical and genuinely humorous clips that feature the players. No Premier League club has more TikTok followers than Tottenham.

10

Arsenal – 118 million

Premier League

Arsenal may have a nine-digit fanbase on social media, but the club are not immune to viral blunders. Mikel Arteta often inspires widespread ridicule for his eccentric motivation techniques. Few have been able to forget the manager’s elaborate team talks laced with props or when he hired pickpockets to teach his team about the value of alertness.

Arteta was at the epicentre of a fierce social media storm in January 2024, when a video emerged of the controversial celebrity chef Nusret Gokce – better known as Salt Bae – feeding Arsenal’s head coach a slice of steak directly off his knife. The ill-fated dining experience sparked outrage but offered little lasting impact on the team. They finally got their hands back on the title last season and after reaching the Champions League final, their following should only grow.

9

Chelsea – 156 million

Premier League

Shortly after Chelsea were forcibly extracted from Roman Abramovich’s ownership, falling under the stewardship of the BlueCo consortium in 2022, the most intriguing social media activity involving the historic west London outfit didn’t concern the club’s official account. Todd Boehly acted as the face of the takeover, prompting newfound scrutiny regarding every tap and click he made online.

The outspoken US investor has taken part in Twitter polls and unwisely liked a tweet promoting an article in which former Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella was heavily criticised. The club’s manager at the time, Graham Potter, was forced to address his boss’ online activity and sighed: “It’s nothing that I would say is a reflection of Todd in any way, but I don’t know how social media works.”

8

Bayern Munich – 165 million

Bundesliga

Bayern Munich’s popularity across Germany and the wider world is not only evident through the virtual platform of social media. The Bavarian behemoths boast almost 4,000 official fan clubs, scattered everywhere from China to Canada.

Club-record signing Harry Kane visited the small Kirchweidach branch of this international dynasty during his debut season at Bayern. Unlike some past stars who half-heartedly mumbled through the commitment, the club’s new talisman got stuck in. If his mountain of goals hadn’t already done it, Kane firmly won the hearts of the villagers in this rural slice of Bavaria by enthusiastically playing local pub games and answering questions posed by school children all while a life-sized cardboard cutout of himself watched on.

7

Juventus – 178 million

Serie A

Juventus’ former president, Gianni Agnelli, put his team’s appeal across the width and breadth of Italy down to the branding of the Turin-based club. “Not having the name of the city has brought us great popularity. It makes us national,” he once explained. At the start of the 21st century, Darwin Pastorin tried to capture Juve’s widespread support in La Repubblica:

Aside from the neutral name – which is Latin for ‘youth’ – Juventus owe their hulking fanbase to the club’s abundant success and the family which funded it. Over the last century, the Agnellis have been intertwined with Juventus, pumping the millions generated by FIAT – the motoring giant they also own – into the club. The first flux of Juve fans from outside the city were descendants of factory workers who temporarily moved to Turin to work for FIAT before returning home with plenty of gold, silver and black-and-white.

6

Liverpool – 179 million

Premier League

Action Images via Reuters

Liverpool’s popularity across social media is not thanks to any single individual. The 20-time English champions have also conquered Europe on six separate occasions – more than any other domestic rival. However, boasting one of the most followed footballers on the planet hasn’t hurt the club’s brand expansion.

Mohamed Salah’s unrelenting torrent of goals and friendly demeanour made him one of the most popular figures in the world, particularly in the region surrounding his native Egypt. The actively apolitical winger, who left Merseyside earlier this summer, appeals to the entire cross-section of society. “Salah is really important because he is a symbol,” Mohamed Farag Amer, head of Egypt’s parliamentary youth and sports committee once said, “like Tutankhamun, like the pyramids.”

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £86m deal to sign Manchester City winger Savinho, according to reports coming out of the winger’s home country.

Tottenham have been pursuing the Brazil international all summer, having failed to land him 12 months ago, but they have struggled to make a quick breakthrough in negotiations with their Premier League rivals.

Fabrizio Romano told GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast on Wednesday that Roberto De Zerbi wants to add three attacking players to his squad before the September 1 transfer deadline, with Savinho one of three names on their priority list.

David Ornstein also revealed on Wednesday that Spurs are also in talks with City over a move for striker Omar Marmoush, as the north London outfit look to wrap up a double raid on the eight-time Premier League champions.

Even if they sign both Savinho and Marmoush, Tottenham also want to add Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo to their frontline as well, as they look to soar up the standings after finishing 17th in successive seasons.

According to Brazilian outlet Ge Globo, Spurs are now closing in on a record-breaking deal to sign Savinho from City in a deal worth €100m (£86m).

The deal is expected to go through this week, with Tottenham now facing a race against time to register the 22-year-old in time for him to face Brentford in their opening league match of the season on Saturday.

The fee is a record sale for City, whose current highest is the €75m they got when they sold Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid.

The report adds that the expectation is that the Brazilian will soon get the green light to travel for a medical, while Spurs also hope to wrap up a deal for Marmoush.

Huge Fee, but Savinho Might Just be Worth it

While Savinho is yet to show up in the Premier League on a consistent basis, there is something about him that suggests he could explode at any minute at this level of football.

There is a reason why City signed him in the first place, why Pep Guardiola was often glowing in his admiration for the young Brazilian, and why Tottenham have tried to sign him for more than 12 months.

Speaking about Savinho in August 2025, Guardiola said:

Guardiola clearly knows a player when he sees one, and injury issues certainly didn’t help Savinho last season as he looked to make a big breakthrough in City’s first team.

Nevertheless, the Brazilian did register 13 assists in his first campaign in the Premier League, and if he can begin to reproduce that form for Spurs he could be a huge addition to their frontline.

A speedy dribble who can play on either flank, the versatile forward looks to be the perfect player for De Zerbi’s system, and shows why Spurs have pushed for so long to get a deal over the line.

£86m seems like a lot right now, but if Savinho fulfills his potential it could be seen as a great deal in a few years time.

Liverpool are now unlikely to pursue their interest in PSG forward Ibrahim Mbaye as journalist Simon Jones provides an update on the Bradley Barcola situation.

It’s no secret that Liverpool want to sign another winger during the summer transfer window as they look to find a long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah.

Victor Munoz was brought to the club earlier in the window, but Liverpool remain in the market to sign another in the coming weeks.

Liverpool have been fairly quiet in comparison to a lot of Premier League clubs this summer, but there’s still plenty of time remaining for the Merseyside outfit.

It was a disappointing 25-26 season for the Reds, so it will be a busy few weeks in the market for Andoni Iraola’s side.

One player they might not be looking to buy now is PSG winger Mbaye, with journalist Jones reporting that they are unlikely to pursue their interest.

The Reds did make an exploratory move to potentially secure his signature, but they are unlikely to go to the next stage.

Jones confirms that Liverpool are continuing to discuss a move to sign Mbaye’s team-mate Barcola.

Barcola is certainly someone who is further ahead of Mbaye in their development at the moment, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they go all out to secure his signature.

How Liverpool could line up this weekend

REUTERS/Phil Noble

Liverpool are preparing to face Newcastle in their Premier League opener this weekend.

As it stands, Liverpool have only brought in Munoz to strengthen their forward options, while Hugo Ekitike is currently out injured.

How Liverpool could line up remains to be seen, and it will be interesting to see whether the likes of youngster Rio Ngumoha are given an opportunity to impress.

Isak is likely to start through the centre of attack, considering their lack of centre-forward options.

We could see Munoz and Gakpo as the wide options, although Ngumoha will undoubtedly be pushing for a starting spot.