A recent international study revealed that football fans' preference for Argentina's Lionel Messi or Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo may be linked to their political leanings, personalities, and media consumption habits.
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore conducted a survey of 10,661 people in 26 countries, with the aim of exploring the relationship between individuals' favorite player and their political and social orientations.
The results showed that people who identify as more liberal tend to prefer Messi, while conservatives tend to prefer Ronaldo. This relationship was also found to be most pronounced among younger people, before gradually diminishing with age.
The study's leader, Dr. Saifuddin Ahmed, said that Messi and Ronaldo present two completely different public images, explaining that Messi is usually associated with the image of a calm player who focuses on teamwork, while Ronaldo is known for highlighting his personal ambition and celebrating his individual achievements.
He added that people are often attracted to public figures whose image aligns with their values and perceptions of success and excellence.
When comparing the popularity of the two stars across the countries participating in the study, the results showed that participants in 11 countries rated Ronaldo better on average, compared to eight countries that preferred Messi, while seven countries did not show any statistically significant preference for either player.
The study also revealed a link between player preferences and news consumption habits and social media use. Those who got most of their news from TikTok and Instagram were more likely to prefer Ronaldo.
Researchers believe this may be due to Ronaldo's strong presence on these platforms, and the accompanying frequent exposure to content related to his public image and personal brand.
The results also showed that individuals with a high degree of self-confidence were more likely to prefer Ronaldo.
In this context, Dr. Saif Al-Din Ahmed explained that self-confident people may be attracted to personalities who embody confidence, achievement, and excellence, qualities they may see as a reflection of their own self-image.
The researchers confirmed that they intend to conduct further studies to understand these links more deeply, and to find out whether fans' preferences actually reflect broader values and trends that go beyond the boundaries of sports.
