A teenager's determined quest for free chicken nuggets was the most retweeted post of 2017 in the UK, Twitter has revealed.

Carter Wilkerson took the top spot following his now-famous plea to the US fast food chain Wendy's for a year's supply of the product.

He ranked above heartbreaking Twitter posts from singer Ariana Grande and ex-Sunderland footballer Jermain Defoe in the newly-released list.

Carter, 16, took to social media earlier this year to ask Wendy's how many retweets he would need in order to receive free nuggets for 12 months.

He posted an image of their response - 18 million - on Twitter in April, along with the caption: "HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS."

Scroll down for the 10 most retweeted posts of 2017

Carter, 16, asked Wendy's how many retweets he would need in order to receive free nuggets for 12 months (
Image:
Twitter)

The post has since been retweeted more than 3.6million times - making it the most retweeted in the social media site's history.

Wendy's has agreed to award Carter his nuggets.

The teen's post topped the list ahead of Ariana's response to the Manchester terror attack, which took place at the end of one of her concerts in May.

The US singer said she was "broken" following the atrocity - which left 22 people dead - adding: "I am so so sorry. I don't have words."

Meanwhile, Jermain's emotional tribute to brave Bradley Lowery, who lost his battle with a rare type of cancer this summer, ranked in third place.

Jermain Defoe's emotional tribute to brave Bradley Lowery ranked in third place on the list (
Image:
Daily Mirror)
Ariana Grande's response to the Manchester terror attack was the second most retweeted post of the year. Above, emergency crews respond to the atrocity in May (
Image:
PA)

The footballer told his six-year-old pal: "Sleep tight little one."

Bradley, a Sunderland fan, had formed a touching bond with the striker during an awareness campaign for cancer in young children.

The youngster sadly lost his fight with neuroblastoma in July.

Former US president Barack Obama's message of equality that "no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion" was also widely shared by UK Twitter users.

It was listed as the fourth most retweeted post of the year in the country on the site. It has been, in total, retweeted more than 1.7million times globally.

The top 10 list also includes a video of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (
Image:
Twitter)

Former footballer Andy Johnson completed the top five with a message to #EndTheStigma surrounding mental health and to support Everton star Aaron Lennon after he was detained under the mental health act.

But who else made the top 10 list among UK users? Below, we look at the most retweeted posts of 2017, as revealed by Twitter.

They also include a video of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ...

1. Carter Wilkerson's quest for free chicken nuggets

(Wendy's later tweeted the following...)

2. Ariana Grande's response to the Manchester terror attack

3. Jermain Defoe's tribute to "best friend" Bradley Lowery

4. Barack Obama's message of equality

5. Andy Johnson's message of support for Aaron Lennon

6. Jeremy Clarkson dabs

7. PC Dave Wise raises awareness for suicide prevention

8. Peter Crouch spends time with "family"

9. @LucidWhim raises awareness for breast cancer

10. @Officialwinemom captions Jeremy Corbyn video

Twitter UK managing director Dara Nasr said: "The UK's biggest retweets of the year are a great way to look back on some of our more notable tweets, and what a collection we have from poignant moments, acts of amazing charity and the usual dose of comedy.

"In what's been a tough 12 months for many, this year's Top 10 UK retweets really show the difference people can make on Twitter, no matter whether you have just a handful of followers or many millions."