The Euros may be over in Ukraine and Poland, but away from the football pitch another competition continues to be played out between the star players. 



After winning the tournament, Spain are proving they can tweet, post and share just as well as they shoot, pass and save, with six members proving to be the most popular footballers on social networks in this year’s Euros.



Many footballers use social networks to keep in contact with their fans, tweeting about their mood and sharing their status updates of apprehension or confidence during games and training sessions. The company Top Position has done a study to find out who are the most social players of Euro 2012 on Facebook and Twitter and they’ve created their own team - and quite a team it would be.



The team, which was based on the results of a study of 364 players, would have a 4-4-2 formation. Spanish veteran Iker Casillas holds down the goalkeeper’s position, with 6 million followers tuning in to his updates over both Facebook and Twitter.



The rojillos also contribute the majority of the defence, which is made up of Sergio Ramos on the right, Gerard Piqué in the centre with John Terry, and Álvaro Arbeloa on the left. Piqué is the most popular amongst the defense with 7.5 million followers, then Ramos with 4 million.



Midfield we have Steven Gerrard, also team captain, with 7 million followers. Spain’s own Cesc Fabregas is next, counting 8.5 million followers, but Andrés Iniesta is the most popular in the midfield with almost 13.5 million followers. Mesut Özil is the final midfielder with 5.5 million followers.



Finally, up front there is Wayne Rooney, with almost 13.5 million followers, and then the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo clocks in with a massive 55 million followers.

Apart from being one of the best footballers in the world right now, Cristiano’s online popularity is boosted by his strong command of three languages which he can use to update his audience.



The Spanish players are the biggest social networkers with six players making up the final selection. England offers three players, with Germany and Portugal offering one each.

​

The figures from Top Position show the total followers of all the players in the Euros is 153.7 million on Facebook and 48.2 million on Twitter. Combined, the social network football followers make up a population equal to that of Brazil.