Let's be real: Nothing validates our pathetic human existences like a popular Instagram post.
Sports stars are, contrary to popular belief, humans as well -- so you know they fiend for likes just the same as the rest of us.
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Instagram -- the company, not the app -- tracked down the year's most popular posts from many of the biggest stars in sports. Read on for a look at what athletes shared in 2014 -- and what resonated most with their fans.
1. Neymar
The Brazilian soccer star's most popular post of the year featured him looking real cool with his young son.
Parceria ✌️ A photo posted by Nj (@neymarjr) on Jul 7, 2014 at 1:53pm PDT
2. LeBron James
The NBA star's most popular post of the year included a special message for fans in Cleveland.
A photo posted by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Jul 7, 2014 at 9:29am PDT
3. Richard Sherman
The Seattle Seahawks defensive back flaunted his team's Super Bowl trophy in this post, much to fans' delight.
Dreams Becoming Realities A photo posted by Richard Sherman (@rsherman25) on Feb 2, 2014 at 2:53pm PST
4. Usain Bolt
The Jamaican track legend's most popular post of 2014 was this photo of him striking his signature pose at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Glasgow was fun..great team work to get the baton around.. TeamJamaica all day everyday #glasgow2014 #relayGold #foreverfaster Usain St.Leo Boltさん(@usainbolt)が投稿した写真 - 8月 8, 2014 at 2:03午後 PDT
5. Johnny Manziel
Johnny Football's most popular post of 2014 was this shot from his first NFL game.
First NFL game in the books. Lots of room to get better but great to be back out on the field #StriveForGreatness #DawgPound A photo posted by Johnny Manziel (@jmanziel2) on Aug 8, 2014 at 9:22pm PDT
6. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Never one to err on the side of humbleness, Mayweather's most popular post of 2014 featured him chilling next to a huge pile of money.
Help me out with a caption A photo posted by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Sep 9, 2014 at 7:44pm PDT
7. Leo Messi
This photo with his wife and young child was the soccer demigod's most popular of 2014.
A photo posted by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Jul 7, 2014 at 1:51am PDT
8. Mike Trout
Trout was named MVP of the Major League Baseball All-Star game, posted this photo afterward and got so many likes.
Wow… unbelievable night !!! I can't thank the fans & my teammates enough for this experience !!! #ASG THANK YOU. A photo posted by Mike Trout (@miketrout) on Jul 7, 2014 at 11:01pm PDT
9. Caroline Wozniacki
The tennis star's most popular post of 2014 came after she ran the New York City Marathon in November.
I was soooo happy to finish the race!! 3 hours 26 min and 33 sec! I think it was one of the toughest things I have ever done! @nycmarathon A photo posted by Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:50pm PST
10. Yasiel Puig
The Dodgers slugger donned a Mexico World Cup jersey for his most popular Instagram post of the year.
México ya en la segunda ronda fiesta hoy en México #sisepuede #soccer #worldcup #win 3-1 #goodday #godblees #goodtime #fiesta #atomartequilahoy A photo posted by puigyasiel (@puigyasiel) on Jun 6, 2014 at 2:54pm PDT
11. Cristiano Ronaldo
The Real Madrid scoring machine's most popular post showed him on a date with his supermodel girlfriend. Rough life, man.
Dinner with tigriski. A photo posted by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Oct 10, 2014 at 3:08pm PDT