Eloy Room's Instagram Explodes After World Cup Heroics: 'Finally, I Have More Followers Than My Wife'

Nijmegen-born Eloy Room, 37, is married to Serbian influencer Zorana Jovanović, who boasts over 750,000 followers on social media. She significantly outranked her husband, who had fewer than 100,000 followers, until a pivotal World Cup match between Curaçao and Ecuador. In just a few days, Room's follower count surged past his wife's, now exceeding 1 million.

Room himself admitted to constantly refreshing his Instagram page in the hours and days following his heroic performance between the sticks. "My and our performance just went viral," he told this site. "Worldwide, my phone exploded. I received so many reactions, it was incredible. It's truly... it just keeps going," he said, referring to his soaring follower count. "I had seen with that other goalkeeper (Vozinha, from Cape Verde, ed.) how quickly things can happen, but I didn't expect this."

He did, however, mute his phone, otherwise, he 'would have gone completely mad.' Yet, he hasn't let the moment pass unnoticed at home. He's already playfully teased his wife about it. "Finally, I've surpassed my wife. She always had a large following, especially from the Balkans where she's from. It's quite funny that she always had more followers than me, until now. Now, that's me," he laughed.

Room believes this attention could benefit his career post-football. "You start thinking about it, and this could certainly help. I know how life works, also from my wife's perspective. But yes, that (social media, ed.) is the future. And even if the amounts (after his football career, ed.) decrease, then this isn't bad. This helps. So, if there are people who want to collaborate, they can get in touch," he concluded jokingly.

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