According to a Safebettingsites data presentation, Christiano Ronaldo was the most trolled player in the English Premier League (EPL). He faced the most abuse in the EPL between August 13, 2021, and January 24, 2022. The Portuguese star who plies his trade with Manchester United received 12,520 abusive tweets during that period.

Safebettingsites drew its conclusions from an Alan Turing Foundation and Ofcom study of over 2 million tweets directed at EPL stars during the first half of the 2021-2022 season.

“While many use Twitter to express their love for their club or player, others use it to troll them,” says Safebettingsites’ Edith Reads. She adds, “Tackling this vice requires concerted efforts of Twitter’s management and fans to make the platform a safe one for all its users.”
Manchester United’s Players are the Most Trolled
Ronaldo’s captain at the club, Harry Maguire, was the second most abused player in the EPL. Maguire received 8,954 hateful tweets during the same period.

Marcus Rashford came in third, having attracted 2,557 trolling tweets. Meanwhile, his teammate Bruno Fernandez of Portugal took the fourth position after he received 2,464 abusive tweets.

Harry Kane and Jack Grealish took the remaining two slots. Tottenham’s Kane was the fifth most abused player with 2,127 trolling tweets, while Manchester City’s Grealish was eighth with 1,538.
Stemming Twitter Abuse
The Alan Turing-Ofcom study found that up to 70% of EPL players have suffered some form of abuse on Twitter. These findings are concerning and highlight the need for greater awareness of online abuse and its potential impact on mental health.

Ofcom’s director for broadcasting and online content Kevin Bakhurst insists that social media platforms need to be more proactive in rooting out the vice.. As such, social media firms need to be transparent about how they are protecting users and design their services with user safety in mind.

Bakhurst adds that supporters can play a pivotal role in protecting the sport. Their reporting of abusive posts will go a long way in stemming the unfortunate behavior.