TwoCents | The real influencer - by Jefferson Nnadiekwe

Football and sports lovers around the world are well aware of the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Ever since the news broke, details of the transfer have been a topic of discussion and analysis, especially the lucrative salary package. What I want to write about however is away from the salary or even football contract details. For now, let's focus on the fanfare and buzz which that deal generated for the club and Saudi Arabian football in general. For starters ever since the deal was announced on the club's official Instagram page, there has been a mind blowing increase in followers. Prior to the deal, Al-Nassr football club, could boast of only 800k+ Instagram followers. Now they have a massive 10m+ followers, and it's still growing. All credited to the influence of the man Cristiano Ronaldo. It is also without doubt that the Saudi Arabian football league would record a massive boost in viewership. You can bet that the debut of Ronaldo would likely draw a record breaking amount of views. Indeed the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is not just a deal for Al-Nassr, but a huge win for the Saudi Arabian league. Try a quick google search for the club Al-Nassr, and you would observe how quickly it comes up via text prediction. An evidence of the overwhelming increase in the club's popularity. What we have witnessed with the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, is the power of value and influence. While some people may attribute this effect solely to the wealth of Ronaldo, it goes beyond that. There are wealthy people who do not possess this kind of influence. This kind of influence comes when you inspire a lot of people like Cristiano does. When you have built a legacy of value from years of hard work and consistency. When a man positions himself at a certain point in life, his value speaks for him. He is what I like to call a real influencer. Not the type all over social media. Over the past couple of years, we have witnessed the rise in self acclaimed influencers, all over different social media platforms. But when we carefully scrutinize these people, it is often discovered that they actually hold no influence on the public. What they have is mere social media popularity, which we often mistake for influence. The world knows and have seen what a man like Cristiano has to offer. We know that he is a role model to millions of people, not exclusive to the sports world. His strive for perfection and success is admirable. The fact that he alone changed the fortune of his family, and has placed his generations into wealth, is an inspiration. He has paid his dues, and as a reward, the universe has blessed him with value. The type money cannot buy. In my opinion this is the type of person who has earned the right to be called an influencer.

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