By Adedapo Adesanya
A new study has revealed the most influential members of the England squad for the Qatar World Cup, with Marcus Rashford taking the top spot.
The research, conducted by online casino comparison experts KingCasinoBonus.uk, and seen by Business Post. analysed marketing tools and the social media profiles of the England team to determine which England player was the most influential.
Marcus Rashford took first place, earning up to a whopping £37,950 per sponsored Instagram post, thanks to his follower count of almost 13 million and an engagement rate of 3.28 per cent. The Manchester United forward has been praised on social media for his work around providing free school meals for children across the United Kingdom, creating a dedicated fanbase ahead of the World Cup.
England captain, Harry Kane, is the second most influential member of the English team. Kane, who boasts 13.3 million followers, can charge up to £36,997 per sponsored Instagram post. Interestingly, Kane has the lowest engagement rate of any member of the England squad at just 0.36 per cent.
The third most influential member of the team is Raheem Sterling. The Chelsea forward can charge up to £27,661 for a single post on social media. Sterling has 10 million followers on Instagram and an engagement rate of 1.27 per cent.
Trent Alexander Arnold is the fourth most influential player in the England team, earning £22,308 per sponsored post on social media, whilst Phil Foden is the fifth most influential player, earning £15,565 per Instagram sponsored post.
Jack Grealish ranks sixth thanks to his follower count of 5.4 million and an engagement rate of 4.69 per cent. Grealish can charge up to £14,971 per sponsored post on Instagram.
Midfielder Conor Gallagher has the highest engagement rate with fans at 18.92% whilst Jude Bellingham receives the most average likes per Instagram post at 481,008 likes.
Those who play up front also top the leader board with forwards occupying five of the top ten spots – Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish. Manchester United produces the most influential players with three of the top ten coming from the club – Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, and Harry Maguire.
| The most influential players on the England football team
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| Rank | Player | Instagram Username | Follower count | Potential Instagram earnings | Engagement rate | Average likes per post |
| 1 | Marcus Rashford | marcusrashford | 12,975,093 | £37,950 | 3.28% | 422,632 |
| 2 | Harry Kane | harrykane | 13,306,943 | £36,997 | 0.36% | 47,879 |
| 3 | Raheem Sterling | sterling7 | 10,030,643 | £27,661 | 1.27% | 126,421 |
| 4 | Trent Alexander Arnold | trentarnold66 | 8,148,889 | £22,308 | 4.19% | 334,731 |
| 5 | Phil Foden | philfoden | 5,765,258 | £15,565 | 7.17% | 400,271 |
| 6 | Jack Grealish | jackgrealish | 5,405,916 | £14,971 | 4.69% | 251,745 |
| 7 | Mason Mount | masonmount | 5,215,031 | £14,514 | 7.17% | 372,925 |
| 8 | Jordan Henderson | jhenderson | 5,104,144 | £14,172 | 2.09% | 105,905 |
| 9 | Luke Shaw | lukeshaw23 | 4,308,064 | £11,978 | 4.89% | 209,536 |
| 10 | Harry Maguire | harrymaguire93 | 3,889,842 | £10,380 | 2.58% | 99,737 |
Commenting on the study, a spokesperson from KingCasinoBonus.uk said, “The past success of the England team at the 2018 World Cup and the Euros last year brought the country together and catapulted many of the players to a bigger level of stardom. It will be interesting to see who gains the most followers throughout the World Cup tournament, particularly if England goes on to do well.”
Dipo Olowookere