Manchester United Duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire Targeted with Most Twitter Abuse

Premier League footballers face an alarming amount of abusive messages on Twitter, with Manchester United duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire receiving the brunt of the abuse. A new report by Ofcom analyzed 2.3 million tweets and found that nearly 60,000 posts were abusive in nature, with seven in 10 Premier League stars targeted. The study revealed two major peaks in the frequency of abusive messages, with Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford generating a staggering 3,961 abusive tweets, 97% of which were aimed directly at him.

Key Takeaways:

• Cristiano Ronaldo received more than 12,500 abusive posts between 13 August 2021 and 24 January 2022.
• Harry Maguire was sent more than 8,900 abusive messages during the same period.
• Marcus Rashford received just over 2,500 abusive posts, making up the third spot in the top 10 list.
• The top 10 most abused players included Ronaldo, Maguire, Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, and David de Gea.
• Jack Grealish and Harry Kane made up the final two spots.
• Social media companies are being warned to take action to combat online abuse.
• Ofcom will soon regulate tech giants under new online safety laws.

Statistics:

• 2.3 million tweets analyzed during the first half of last season.
• 60,000 tweets found to be abusive in nature.
• 70% of Premier League players targeted with abuse.
• 97% of abusive tweets aimed at Ronaldo on the day of his return to Old Trafford.
• 3,961 abusive tweets sent on the day of Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford.
• 2,903 abusive messages sent to Maguire after his tweet apologizing for United's defeat.

Sources:

• Ofcom [Report on Twitter abuse]
• The Alan Turing Institute [Study on Twitter abuse]
• Twitter [Hateful Conduct Policy]
• Ofcom [Press release on regulation of tech giants]