How did Jude Bellingham’s YouTube launch compare to Cristiano Ronaldo’s first 24 hours?

Jude Bellingham recently launched a YouTube channel, as one now does, and with it released a trailer for a documentary showcasing his first year at Real Madrid, in which he won both LaLiga and the Champions League...

Arguing over YouTube numbers nowadays goes hand in hand with Ballon d’Or debates, heavily edited goals compilations and decontextualised video clips about, well, anything. Despite the eye rolls from some regarding these online facets of the Game in the modern world, media exposure for players brings with it lucrative contract opportunities for sponsors, and in-house productions can easily portray an image of yourself that you want the world to see.

While it’s not holding-the-hand-of-your-parent-as-you-walk-into-the-stadium-for-the-first-time levels of falling in love with the Game, fans certainly see it as a way of connecting with their heroes.

How many YouTube subscribers does Jude Bellingham have?

As mentioned, the news of his new channel was welcomed by Madrid fans; those who know what Generation-Z means buzzed at the potential sneak-peak behind the curtain of Football: finally could they prove, once and for all, that Jude deserves the Ballon d’Or. Bellingham himself is Gen-Z, and as such I wait eagerly for his maiden recording of a TikTok as he dances in front of his iPhone 15 Pro Max placed precariously on the fence outside the local shops.

The Real Madrid midfielder followed in the footsteps of another Bernabéu icon: Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old talent - who I assume is Gen-Z - did not record a dancing TikTok (as far as I am aware), but he did take a break from hitting free-kicks with Portugal to launch his own YouTube channel.

Full screen

In a flash, the followers flooded in, and he racked up 20 million subscribers in just 24 hours; a week later, the number was at 57.9m. That is not a typo: the forward immediatley burst into the top 50 channels on the website, causing some to wonder why he didn’t do it before.

Bellingham, despite his popularity on the streets of the Spanish capital and beyond, has yet to make the media impact of Cristiano, and, after 24 hours, has just shy of 250,000 YouTube subscribers. That number is set to rise as he releases his four-part documentary, so let’s see where he ends up ranking in the modern world of YouTube subscribers.