Srinagar: Former Kiwi batter Ross Taylor has made huge claim about batting superstar Virat Kohli, comparing him with football legends Lionel Messi and Chistiano Ronaldo.
Taylor believed that Kohli was on the same level as Ronaldo and Messi in terms of social influence as he is a “superstar” in the world of cricket.
“Players are putting outposts endorsing products and things like that. Who would have thought of that in 2008? Someone like Kohli, who is a superstar in the world of cricket, but is also a global superstar in the world of sports. In terms of Instagram and social media, he’s up there with Ronaldo and Messi,” Taylor said on the “180 Not Out” podcast.
Ronaldo and Messi are widely considered two of the greatest players of all time. Meanwhile, Kohli has been reaching new heights since making his debut with India in cricket.
Apart from their on-field success, Ronaldo and Messi have been conquering the social world as well as the Portuguese is the most followed individual on Instagram with 630 million followers while the Argentine is ranked second with 503 million followers.
Kohli has 269 million followers on Instagram, the 15th most in the world ahead of the likes of Neymar Junior, LeBron James, Kylian Mbappe and other renowned athletes.
Ronaldo has won the UEFA Champions League title five times while Messi has won the same title four times. On the other hand, Messi is the only player to have won the Ballon d’Or eight times, while the Portuguese is second with five accolades.
Messi earned his biggest achievement when he won the FIFA World Cup 2022 by beating France in one of the greatest finals of all time. Kohli has also won the ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2011.