Every sport has its stars. Whether they are still active or have decided to retire, the legacy of names such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in soccer or Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in basketball is beyond dispute.
However, fans do debate when they have to choose one of them as the best athlete. Now, a prestigious ranking could help sports lovers make up their minds.
The best athletes of the 21st century
Given that next year will mark the end of the first quarter of the century, Le Journal de Quebec has released its top 25 athletes and former athletes who have made a difference during this time.
The ranking of ‘the best athletes of the 21st century‘ includes figures from all sports disciplines, and at the top of the list is soccer star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.
The captain of the Argentina national team has just won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 (a title he will defend if he decides to attend the 2026 tournament) and on December 6, he led Inter Miami to its first Major League Soccer championship. In addition, Leo was awarded the Golden Boot and consecutive MVP awards and will remain with the club until 2028.
He has also been La Liga champion 10 times and Champions League champion four times, and his career with Barcelona and PSG has not gone unnoticed.
Meanwhile, second place goes to NFL star and seven-time champion Tom Brady, while third place goes to the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time with 28 medals, former swimmer Michael Phelps. The list continues with Serena Williams, Usain Bolt, and LeBron James.
And where is Leo’s eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo? The Al Nassr captain fell to tenth place. Ahead of him are Novak Djokovic, Simone Biles, and Kobe Bryant.
The ranking also mentions sports legends such as driver Michael Schumacher and former tennis players Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer. In addition, current figures such as Stephen Curry (NBA), Lewis Hamilton (F1), and Patrick Mahomes (NFL) are also part of this prestigious list.
The complete list:
- Lionel Messi (Soccer-Argentina)
- Tom Brady (NFL-United States)
- Michael Phelps (Swimming-United States)
- Serena Williams (Tennis-United States)
- Usain Bolt (Athletics-Jamaica)
- LeBron James (Basketball-United States)
- Novak Djokovic (Tennis-Serbia)
- Simone Biles (Gymnastics-United States)
- Kobe Bryant (Basketball-United States)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer-Portugal)
- Tiger Woods (Golf-United States)
- Roger Federer (Tennis-Switzerland)
- Rafael Nadal (Tennis-Spain)
- Stephen Curry (Basketball-United States)
- Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1-United Kingdom)
- Katie Ledecky (Swimming-United States)
- Floyd Mayweather (Boxing-United States)
- Sydney Crosby (Hockey-Canada)
- Mikaël Kingsbury (Freestyle Skiing-Canada)
- Michael Schumacher (Formula 1-Germany)
- Shohei Ohtani (Baseball-Japan)
- Mikaela Shiffrin (Skiing-United States)
- Patrick Mahomes (NFL-United States)
- Alexander Ovechkin (Hockey-Russia)
- Marta Vieira da Silva (Soccer-Brazil)
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