LOS ANGELES: The 2016 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records is out this month, and while there are some interesting changes, like Game of Thrones edging out CSI for largest TV drama simulcast, Shakira holds court as the planet’s most “liked” person on Facebook.
With 107,142,986 “likes,” the Colombian superstar is the undisputed queen of the social network. Cristiano Ronaldo follows, with 102,782,118 likes. According to Guinness, only two Facebook pages have more “likes” than Shakira’s: Facebook for Every Phone (547,111,981) and Facebook itself (169,250,505).
Shakira first broke the Facebook record in July 2014, becoming the first person to attract more than 100 million likes on an official Facebook page, a massive following no doubt boosted by her participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In fact, her most popular post to date is a photo she shared from Rio de Janeiro’s Maracaná stadium ahead of her performance in the World Cup’s closing ceremony. That image alone garnered 3.5 million likes in four days.
“I am honored and humbled about reaching this milestone, because it’s one that’s purely about connecting with my fans from all parts of the globe,” Shakira said in an official statement, adding that, “social media and specifically Facebook has helped myself and other artists bridge the gap between the stage and the audience. We’ve been able to create a conversation, where both artists and fans can share with one another their thoughts, achievements, the most important moments of their lives in photographs and videos, and have a real, ongoing dialogue.”