Cristiano Ronaldo poked fun at his former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos over their respective social media followings.

Ronaldo is a phenomenon on and off the pitch, with over 600 million followers on Instagram – more than anyone else in the world. With such clout behind him, he mocked Ramos for celebrating his 60 million landmark by responding to his post: “You need another zero to catch me!” followed by a cry-laughing emoji.

Ramos has become a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract. Now aged 37, the veteran central defender is closing in on 1,000 first-team appearances across his senior career for club and country.

The talismanic central defender endured a difficult 12 months of injury niggles during his first season in the French capital, coinciding with dropping out of the Spanish squad and struggling for regular football.

However, he did enjoy a resurgence of form and fortune at the Parc des Princes last campaign – even if it was not enough for him to be included in Spain’s World Cup squad – as he made 45 appearances across all competition, 32 more than the previous term.

Yet Ramos was not offered a new contract in Paris as they reshape their squad this summer, with Milan Skriniar arriving from Inter while Lucas Hernandez joined from Bayern Munich as part of a squad overhaul at the Ligue 1 champions.

Ramos has several options on the table with Saudi clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr among those linked to his signature. The latter would see him link up once again with Ronaldo, whom he played alongside for nine seasons at Real Madrid – before the Portuguese superstar departed in 2018.

The two have now interacted on social media, highlighting their friendship away from the pitch – despite not having been teammates for the past five seasons. Ronaldo ribbing Ramos over his social media following is the latest indication of their relationship.

Ramos had earlier said: “We started in 2014 and – although it seems impossible – we are now 60 million strong. To celebrate this and return some of the love you all give me, I’ve got a great competition for you: a giveaway of 20 pairs of signed Mizuno boots.”

It remains unclear where Ramos will end up this season and it is still somewhat surprising that no club have yet secured his signature. The Saudi Arabian transfer window remains open until 20 September, long after the European windows have closed.