Cristiano Ronaldo YouTube channel: Football star smashes YouTube records with launch – and beats Lionel Messi in two hours

Cristiano Ronaldo has launched his own YouTube channel. Photo / Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded the most successful YouTube channel launch ever after giving viewers the impression he and Georgina Rodriguez had secretly married.

After launching at 2pm BST, Ronaldo’s ‘UR’ account became the fastest to reach 100,000 subscribers (55 minutes), breaking a milestone set by ‘Sidemen Reacts’, and to surpass the one million barrier (90 minutes).

It also surpassed the 2.16 million subscribers to Lionel Messi’s account in just two hours, reaching almost double that by 5am NZT.

The U in UR appears to represent a C turned on its side to designate Ronaldo’s initials.

Among the videos posted by the 39-year-old was one in which he and Rodriguez played a game of Mr and Mrs. During the game, Ronaldo referred to Rodriguez as his “wife”, while they both sported what appeared to be wedding rings. The couple has been dating since 2016 and have two children together, while Rodriguez is stepmother to Ronaldo’s other three children.

Other videos posted to the new channel include one entitled ‘Meet Georgina’, a free-kick challenge with his son and a ‘This or That’ selection which sees Ronaldo choosing between iconic athletes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

The Portugal star still has a long way to go to match the 311 million subscribers of YouTube superstar Mr Beast. Ronaldo announced the launch of his channel on his Instagram account, where he boasts a record 636 million followers.

His latest move appears to be in anticipation of his retirement from the game, with the forward now in the twilight of his career. He relocated to Saudi Arabia almost two years ago, joining Al Nassr on a deal until the end of this season.

There is talk that could be extended until the 2026 World Cup, which could be Ronaldo’s final major international tournament.