England captain Harry Kane has topped the England squad’s influencer rankings after generating £25.8 million in Earned Media Value (EMV) during the tournament, with new data revealing his social media value soared following England’s victory over Mexico.
Analysis of Instagram data by influencer marketing platform Kolsquare found Kane generated £25.8m in EMV between 25 May and 6 July, making him England’s most commercially valuable player online during the tournament.
The biggest spike came immediately after the Mexico game. On 6 July alone, Kane generated £4.69 million in EMV, almost double that of his nearest England team-mates, as fans flocked to social media to celebrate England’s progress.
Kane’s post-match victory reel got an incredible 6.1M plays.
The surge wasn’t limited to Kane. England’s success sparked a dramatic rise in social media value across the squad, with Declan Rice generating £2.54 million in EMV on 6 July, Jordan Pickford £2.51 million, Anthony Gordon £2.46 million, Bukayo Saka £2.43 million and Jude Bellingham £2.35 million.
Overall, Kane also generated 28.25 million views and 3.34 million engagements, underlining the scale of his influence both on and off the pitch.
The rankings also reveal several England players outperforming expectations online.
Declan Rice generated £2.2 million in total EMV from just five pieces of content, demonstrating the value of quality over quantity when it comes to creator marketing.
Jordan Pickford generated £2.2 million in EMV, despite having one of the smaller social media followings among England’s squad.
Anthony Gordon also punched well above his weight, generating £2.1 million in EMV despite posting relatively little throughout the tournament.
Quentin Bordage, CEO and founder of Kolsquare, said: “Harry Kane’s performances have demonstrated just how quickly sporting success can translate into commercial value. His Mexico performance created an immediate surge in social media attention, generating almost £4.7 million in Earned Media Value in a single day.
“What’s equally interesting is that the effect wasn’t limited to Kane. England’s victory lifted the entire squad, with players such as Declan Rice, Jordan Pickford and Anthony Gordon all seeing huge spikes in value. It shows that major sporting moments don’t just create heroes, they create opportunities for brands to engage with highly invested audiences.”
England influencer rankings on Instagram (25 May-6 July)
| Player | EMV |
| Harry Kane | £25.8m |
| Declan Rice | £2.2m |
| Jordan Pickford | £2.2m |
| Anthony Gordon | £2.1m |
Key findings
- Harry Kane generated £25.8m EMV between 25 May and 6 July.
• Kane generated £4.69m EMV on 6 July alone following England’s Mexico victory.
• Kane also generated 28.25 million views and 3.34 million engagements during the reporting period.
• Declan Rice generated £2.2m EMV from just five posts.
• Jordan Pickford generated £2.2m EMV despite one of the smallest followings among England’s starting XI.
• Anthony Gordon generated £2.1m EMV despite relatively low posting volume.
