Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring a goal. (Photo: ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images)
Nike had a brutal 2016. It was the worst-performing Dow 30 stock, down 19%, after tripling over the previous five years. North American sales slowed, profit margins fell and Adidas reemerged as a strong competitor. Don’t blame Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo for the Swoosh’s problems. The global soccer icon delivered $500 million in value for Nike during 2016 through his massive social media network, according to Hookit, which measures the social and digital media value for brands.
Ronaldo is in a league by himself on social media and his sponsors reap the rewards. The four-time Player of the Year has 260 million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He added 65 million followers alone in 2016 (or about the combined totals of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant). Ronaldo's 120 million Facebook fans are more than any other person on the planet.