It’s a world ranking based not on points, wins, or titles, but on stories, reels, and followers. In Instagram’s parallel ranking—the platform by far the most used by padel players, where the racket takes a backseat to the smartphone—the hierarchy of padel follows a different script compared to the FIP Rankings, which reward players based on results. So, when followers, rather than bandejas and smashes, decide the ranking, everything changes, and new names take the spotlight.
One of them is Tolito Aguirre, already a YouTube star and also present at the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. Loved on the court and charismatic off it, the world number 27 in the FIP ranking firmly lands in the top 10 most followed players, with 311,000 followers. In this special ranking, Tolito sits seventh, ahead of other Argentine padel stars like Martin Di Nenno (298k) and Franco Stupaczuk (293k), who are eighth and ninth in the Instagram Ranking. Most notably, he’s just behind one of the Premier Padel circuit’s top stars, Fede Chingotto, world number 3 but sixth in the social ranking with 375,000 followers.
At 21, and ranked fifteenth in the “played” ranking, new face Leo Augsburger (11th) is on the rise. Last year’s world champion with the Albiceleste, he’s gaining attention among social fans too, especially for Instagram-worthy plays—like the one that decided the match against Emilio Chamero and Enzo Jensen the other night.
THE LEGENDS The Instagram ranking also tells a story for the legends: Arturo Coello, at the top of the FIP Ranking, is only fourth in this special list, with 645,000 followers, behind his partner “Agu” Tapia (938k), Ale Galán (almost 700k), and one of the most beloved figures in the sport: Paquito Navarro, who rises to third with over 600,000 followers, though 12th in the FIP Ranking. Even retired players remain giants on social media, like Fernando “Bela” Belasteguín, who retired right after last year’s Milano Premier Padel. With 460,000 followers, he’s tenth, just behind Juan Lebrón (566k).
SOCIAL WOMEN Among women, the competition is just as fierce, and the new star is Victoria Iglesias, one of the most “social-friendly” athletes in padel. Victoria, world number 22 and ninth in the Instagram Ranking, beats Claudia Fernandez (117k, 10th) and joins the “100k club,” which also includes big names like Sofia Araujo (134k, 8th), Paula Josemaria and Ale Salazar (both 171k, 6th and 7th), Ari Sanchez (181k, 5th), and Gemma Triay, world number one but fourth here with 194k followers. The undisputed queen this time is Bea González: young, bright, and increasingly in the spotlight, she’s number one in the world for stories and reels with over 400,000 followers. Behind her, Delfi Brea (314k) and Marta Ortega (264k) complete a podium of talent and personality.
NEXT GEN Following the “race” of the big names, the NextGen faces are stepping up, also in Milan: Pol Hernandez and Rama Valenzuela, surprise stars again at the Allianz Cloud this year, are making their mark with over 20,000 followers, as is their “colleague” Martina Calvo, who just reached another quarterfinal. The field of rising stars—Raquel Eugenio, David Gala, and Dani Santigosa—promises growth both on the court and on social media, each with between 4,000 and 6,000 followers.