Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi to most liked Instagram post ever by an athlete – with baby news eclipsing PSG signing photo

Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken generational rival Lionel Messi once more in an all-time list, beating him to the most liked Instagram photo by an athlete in the history of the social media network.

The Argentina striker's stunning move to PSG in August, sealed with a series of snaps of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner holding a shirt on the Parc des Princes, has amassed an astonishing total of more than 22 million likes so far.

The photos showed Messi, wife Antonella and their three kids on the turf, as well as the player who spent decades as Barcelona's talisman completing his medical and greeting fans.

Messi previously held the record for the most liked photo by an athlete when he posed with the Copa America trophy he won with Argentina in July, which has 21.9 million likes to date, and announcing his blockbuster Barca exit – which has 21.2 million likes – less than a month later.

These snaps still hold the ninth and tenth spots in the rankings of the most liked photos of all time across any genre, but there has since been a new entrant from the world of sport.

On Thursday, Ronaldo announced that he is expecting twins with long-term partner Georgina Rodriguez, joining the four kids they already care for.

The intimate photo, showing the couple grinning on a bed while Ronaldo held up a scan, has been liked by more than 26 million Instagram users in under 24 hours.

"Our hearts are full of love – we can’t wait to meet you," wrote the Portuguese, who also has the most followers of any athlete on the network with 360 million compared to Messi's 278 million.

Initially in fourth place in the all-time rankings, Ronaldo's special announcement has now usurped the last post made by rapper XXXTentacion before his death (26.6 million) and pop star Ariana Grande's collection of wedding photos (26.7 million).

But it will take some beating to eclipse Chris Godfrey's effort – the 'World Record Egg' which the advertising professional published with the ambition of breaking the record, achieving that feat with a record 55.4 million likes and counting.

Ronaldo is still thought to topple the likes of Grande, Messi and actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson on the Instagram rich list.

According to social media marketing firm Hopper HQ, he can command $1.6 million per sponsored post.

The 36-year-old has the most-followed account on Instagram, with more than 360 million followers.

Messi and socialite Kylie Jenner both have a shade over 278 million followers, with The Rock closely behind them and Grande next on around 273 million.

The next-nearest footballer is one of Messi's PSG teammates, Brazil striker and most expensive player in history Neymar, who has an audience of more than 164 million.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is not currently enjoying such an all-conquering time on the pitch.

Manchester United, who he rejoined in August, are languishing in seventh in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to Spurs on Saturday, having been thrashed 5-0 by bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford last Sunday.