From Leo Messi’s historic World Cup win and a static picture of an egg to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s collaboration for Louis Vuitton, these are the most-liked Instagram posts that captured our “hearts” — on the app, at least.
Yes, Instagram — the app that, despite our better judgment, we just can’t seem to put down. And with the app that we can’t put down, there’s the celebrities we can’t stop following, and ultimately, the posts we like, and scroll, and like, and scroll, and like some more. It’s a vicious cycle — but one that shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
On the plus side, the photos below, those that have earned more of our “likes” than any others — are mostly things worth celebrating. Happy moments, like world cup wins and pregnancy announcements. Honestly, the only big difference between this group of photos and your friend’s photos are a few professional photographers, and, of course, millions and millions of dollars. There’s also a stock photo of an egg. So, let’s get into it, shall we? We shall.
The 10 Most-Liked Instagram Posts of All Time
1). @leomessi lifting the FIFA World Cup 2022 Trophy
67.5 million likes
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Argentina’s hero, Lionel Messi, led the national team to a memorable victory in a fierce final match against France on December 18th in Doha. He shared an emotional and inspiring post upon lifting the trophy for his country, which has now become the most liked Instagram post of all time. Kudos to this record setter!
2.) @world_record_egg’s self-portrait
57.5 million likes
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Many, many moons ago — 2019 — Kylie Jenner and her baby Stormi had the most-liked photo (18 million) on Instagram, which inspired an advertising exec to see if an egg, this egg above, could get more likes. It worked. It’s still working. Egg!
3.) @leomessi in bed with his FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy
45.4 million likes
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There’s no stopping this man – his latest upload, shots of him snuggling up in bed with his coveted gold, gathered ~45 million likes in under 15 hours. At this stage, whether you’re a football fan or not, you’ve got to be following La Pulga.
4.) and 7.) @cristiano and @Messi for Louis Vuitton
42.1 million likes; 32.6 million likes
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Sitting in fourth position in the list of top liked Instagram posts is a common upload featuring football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing a game of chess, sponsored by fashion giant Louis Vuitton.
5). @leomessi posting with the ultimate trophy
38.8 million likes
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This post needs no caption (literally!)
With this latest upload, the G.O.A.T now has four of the 10 most liked Instagram posts in the world. Now that’s another record for the books.
6.) @cristiano and @georginagio’s pregnancy announcement
32.6 million likes
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The most-followed person on Instagram also happens to be responsible for two entrants in the list of most liked Instagram posts. This happy update from October 2021 is a celebration alongside Georgina Rodriguez announcing her pregnancy and twins with the football star.
8.) @cristiano‘s final FIFA World Cup 2022 post
31.6 million likes
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Cristiano Ronaldo had millions cheering him on during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, reportedly his last outing for Portugal. But when they were ousted from the tournament, his fans rallied on social media, especially Instagram, as the world watched one of the greatest footballers of our time falling short of bringing home the ultimate trophy. Nevertheless, he’s still an icon for this generation!
9.) @xxxtentacion’s final post
30.4 million likes
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Rapper XXXTentacion, commonly known as “X”, is no longer with us, but he lives on through this, the final post on his Instagram account, simply reading: “LOVE IS WAR.”
10.) @leomessi’s win against Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2022 semi finals
29.1 million likes
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Football fans world over were glued to their screens as Argentina knocked out Croatia 3-0 to make it to the FIFA World 2022 finals, a historic moment for Messi and his team as the country had last won the World Cup trophy back in 1986 – clearly this was a long time coming.
Hey, while you’re here, check out the most-followed accounts on Instagram.
Lead and featured images: Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images
This story was first published on Prestige Hong Kong
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: As of May 2022, the most liked post on Instagram is the photo of an Egg by the account @world_record_egg, with 55.9 million likes.
Answer: The photo of an Egg by the account @world_record_egg. The most popular Instagram photo of 2021 was Cristiano Ronaldo's announcement that he and Georgina Rodriguez were expecting twins.
