Women’s World Cup: who is Alisha Lehmann, the most followed player on social networks?

2023-08-08 12:14:37

It is no coincidence that she wears number 7, in club, like her idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Alisha Lehmann is a star, too. She has more than 14.6 million followers on Instagram and thus holds the first place for a female football player, far ahead of the mega star of her sport, the American Alex Morgan. These two share a common point since this weekend, they were both eliminated from the Women’s World Cup with their respective selections, Switzerland and the United States.

But for the Swiss, this defeat on the pitch should not mean less exposure, quite the contrary. Because Alisha Lehmann is the queen of social networks: she continues to accumulate subscribers thanks to the international media coverage of the competition, and not only among women’s football fans.

The most influential footballer in the world on the networks

Also with 10 million followers on TikTok, the midfielder is considered the most influential footballer in the world on the networks. She even has more subscribers than Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer. However, she does not like that the term influencer is used in her regard. Its influence simply allows it to promote women’s football, according to her.

In the field, during this 2023 World Cup, she played little, relegated to the role of luxury joker for the coach, Inka Grings. Despite her limited role, Alisha Lehmann remains unquestionably the figurehead of her team ahead of star Ramona Bachmann, her former partner in life. “With its scale on social networks, it has even become larger than the selection and the federation”, notes Stefan Renna, special envoy of the RTS in New Zealand to from Franceinfo.

But beware, Alisha is not a “painter” when it comes to football, the young Bernese started playing at the age of 5 under the influence of her brother and cousins. At 9, she joined FC Konolfingen. She then joined the Young Boys under-14 women’s team, a reference on the other side of the Alps for both boys and girls. She also trains alongside the club’s men’s team.

She played her first match with the “Nati” in October 2017 in Nagano during a friendly match against Japan. Since 2018, the 24-year-old Swiss has been playing in England in the Women’s Super League, the best women’s football league in the world, the only 100% professional. She now wears the colors of West Ham.

Atypical profile and muse of brands

Her atypical profile – and not just her physique – has captured the attention of major brands. Adidas, Coca-Cola, Fifa 23 from Electronic Arts… everyone is snapping up the Swiss.

Alisha is indeed not afraid to display her tattoos, her bisexuality, or even recently the formalization of her relationship with the Brazilian Douglas Luiz. Strongly criticized for the image of “woman-object” that she conveys on her social networks, the player, who does not hesitate to go into contact on the ground, is however far from the cliché that sticks to her skin.

“I had a priori on her, still recognizes Stefan Renna, having interviewed him during the competition for the RTS. In the end, he is someone very reserved and very polite. She says hello to everyone, she doesn’t take herself for someone special at all. His popularity is only increasing. At the time of writing these lines, she had gained more than 100,000 subscribers on Instagram…