The 10 most-liked Instagram posts of 2020: From Kylie Jenner and Ariana Grande to Cristiano Ronaldo

It's been the kind of year where, for a multitude of reasons, many of us have been glued to our phones. Whether it's constantly refreshing news websites, scrolling through social media feeds or FaceTime and Zooming loved ones, mobiles haven't been far from grasp.

And, plenty of us have also been hitting that heart button on Instagram, it seems.

The photo-sharing platform has shared its most-liked images of the year, with the list – as per usual – dominated by celebrities, selfies and the odd stirring tribute.

Read on to discover the year's most popular Instagram posts, with one star even taking four of the top spots.

10. Kylie Jenner posing in Givenchy

Posted: October 17
Likes: 14.2 million

The beauty mogul and member of the Kardashian-Jenner reality TV family slid into the top 10 with this shot, as she posed with her on-off beau, rapper Travis Scott. Wearing a Givenchy look by Matthew Williamson, who she tagged in the caption, the post has garnered more than 14 million likes in just 10 weeks. The mystery of the couple’s relationship status likely adds to the allure, with the two, who share daughter Stormi, thought to have split in October 2019.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his birthday

Posted: February 5
Likes: 14.3 million

It makes sense that the world's most-followed person on Instagram would feature in the platform's most-liked posts. The Portuguese footballer, who has a whopping 249 million followers, shared this photo on his 35th birthday, as he celebrated the occasion with his son and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez.

8. A hug from Stormi Webster

Posted: October 1
Likes: 14.4 million

Jenner makes another appearance in the top 10, this time in a video with her daughter, 2. In the short clip, the Kylie Cosmetics founder nestles her head in her daughter's lap, as Stormi tells her "don't be afraid, mommy".

7. Bubbles at bathtime

Posted: March 26
Likes: 15.3 million

Stormi and Jenner make a formidable pair, nabbing yet another spot on the year's most-liked posts (yes, it is Jenner's account that grabbed four entries in total). This time, Jenner shared a shot of the toddler ensconced in bubbles during a bath, captioning the post: "This pic makes me happy."

6. Ariana Grande gets engaged

Posted: December 20
Likes: 15.4 million

Despite only being uploaded 10 days ago, the singer's post announcing her engagement to luxury real-estate agent Dalton Gomez is already at No 6 on this year's Instagram rankings. Grande shared a series of images of her and Dalton, as well as a look at her oval diamond and pearl ring, captioning the post: "Forever n then some."

5. LeBron James's stirring tribute to Kobe Bryant

Posted: January 27
Likes: 15.4 million

Following the death of basketball player Bryant in January, who was killed in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, reams of stars paid tribute to the athlete. Among them was Los Angeles Lakers teammate James, who shared a series of images of the two together.

"Man, I'm sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again," James wrote in the moving caption.

"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA. Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have. I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother."

4. A birthday message for 'dada'

Posted: April 30
Likes: 16 million

In her final top post of the year, Jenner's birthday message for rapper Scott garnered more than 16 million likes. The beauty entrepreneur shared a number of images and clips of the musician, primarily with their daughter.

"Happy birthday to daddy of the year! I’m slowly but surely starting to accept the fact that Storm is a daddy’s girl," Jenner wrote. "But whatever, we went half on greatness!"

3. Lionel Messi's message for Maradona

Posted: November 25
Likes: 16.3 million

After the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona was revealed last month, sports stars came forward in droves to mourn the player and manager. Among them was fellow Argentine footballer Messi, who shared two photos of himself with Maradona, writing: "He leaves us but does not go away, because Diego is eternal."

2. Wakanda forever

Posted: August 28
Likes: 19.1 million

Fans around the world were shocked and devastated when the family of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman announced his death with a poignant black-and-white shot on Instagram, especially as few knew the actor had been battling colon cancer for the past four years.

"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," the heart-wrenching caption revealed. "From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. "

1. Ronaldo farewells a 'magician'

Posted: November 25
Likes: 19.6 million

The footballer joined Messi in sharing his thoughts after Maradona's death, sharing a shot of the two alongside the caption: "Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius. One of the best ever. An unparalleled magician."

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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

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Sand storm

Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions

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Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”