Celebrating the legacy of 50 greatest athletes of all time



The Super Bowl Championship has kept people hooked to their TV screens and has made people go gaga over the scores and the players. While fans from all across the globe anticipate and fight over titling Ronaldo or Messi as the NFL GOAT, the atmosphere tends to get hotter and hotter with the changing landscape of sports and the athletes. 

The success of an athlete is often measured by the number of awards they receive or the number of scores they achieve throughout their lifetime. But the greatness of an athlete is recognized by the influential power they hold to inspire people to pursue a career in the respective concerned field. 

Several athletes around the world have elevated the essence of their respective concerned fields and are counted amongst the world’s greatest athletes of all time. These athletes have not only boosted the reputation of sports but also have influenced society and people to think out of the box. 

Here is a list of 50 successful and greatest athletes of all time who have created a deep impact in the world of sports and have become some of the world’s major influencers. 

  1. Michael Jordan

    Voted as the greatest NBA and the greatest athlete of all time, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is considered as the purest athlete and is the first person to come to our mind when we speak of Basketball. He is the chairman and owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

greatest athletes of all time

He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process.

  1. Dhyan Chand

     Popular by the pet name “magician” for his incredible ball control, Dhyan Chand is regarded as the best field hockey player ever. During his entire career time, he has scored more than 1,000 career goals, has played for India for more than 20 years and has won 3 Olympic gold medals. Dhyan Chand’s birthday is celebrated as the National sports day in India. In fact, the highest Indian sporting award has been named after him as the “Dhyan Chand Award”.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Muhammad Ali

    In 1964, Muhammad Ali shocked the World Champion Sonny Liston. He was bestowed with the title of World Heavyweight for 3 consecutive years. He was subsequently suspended for refusing a military call and then in 1973, he regained the title in the infamous Rumble in the Jungle, which he held for a further 5 years. He was not just an amateur Olympic gold medalist but an ardent black rights activist and was simply regarded as “the greatest”. 

greatest athletes of all time

    1. Diego Maradona

      Maradona is believed to be the most talented soccer player ever. He was named as joint player of the century by FIFA and inspired Argentina to World Cup in 1986, winning the best player award, whilst he won Napoli their only 2 Italian championships. Diego Maradona is the only player to have broken the global transfer record twice.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Magic Johnson

    In the 1980s, Magic Johnson won 5 NBA titles with the LA Lakers and 3 NBA MVP awards. He is often regarded as the best point guard of all times and has been honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Usain Bolt

    Regarded as the greatest sprinter of all times, Usain Bolt is a world record holder in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100 meters relay, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016), and an eleven-time World Champion in 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 meters relay gold medals from 2009 to 2015, except a 100 m false start in 2011. He gained worldwide fame for his double sprint victory in world record times at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which made him the first person to hold both records since fully automatic time became mandatory. Bolt is the first athlete to win four World Championship titles in the 200 m and is one of the most successful in the 100 m with three titles.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Vivian Richards

    Considered as a fearless and aggressive batsman, Richards was voted as one of the 5 players of the century.  He was also rated by Widen the best One Day player of all time and the 3rd best test batsman.  Viv Richards played remarkably during his entire life without wearing a helmet whatsoever. He was also popular for punishing bowlers who insulted him on the field, leading many opposing captains to enforce silence. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo

    Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is popularly regarded as the greatest football player of all time. He is a world-famous football player and has won five Ballon d’Or awards and four European Golden Shoes, both of which are records for a European player. He has won 31 major trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA European Championship, and one UEFA Nations League title. Ronaldo holds the records for the most goals (134) and assists (42) in the history of the UEFA Champions League. He is one of the few recorded players to have made over 1,000 professional career appearances and has scored over 780 senior career goals for club and country. He is also the second male to score 100 international goals and the first European one to achieve the feat.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Kapil Dev

    The former Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj was a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman. Widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game, he is also regarded as one of the greatest captains of all time. He led India to win the first Cricket World Cup title in 1983. He was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Babe Ruth

    Babe Ruth has set records for Home Runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage, despite having started his career as a pitcher. He was regarded as a ‘LARGER THAN LIFE’ figure and was part of the famous murderer’s row Yankees team of 1927, whilst his huge hitting made his home-run champion 12 times and helped usher in the “live-ball” era in Baseball.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Ted Williams

    Considered as one of the greatest hitters ever, Ted Williams still holds the record for career on-base percentage.  He was twice MVP, 6 times batting champion and a 19-time all-star.  He put a halt to his career to serve in the US military and holds one of America’s highest civilian awards, “presidential medal of freedom”.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Sir Garfield Sobers

    Sir Garfield Sobers is regarded as the greatest all-around cricketer of all times. He embarked on his test debut for West Indies at the age of 17 and by the time he was 22, he had set the record for the highest test score, which stood for over 40 years. He was also a fearsome bowler taking over 1,000 career wickets.  He was knighted by the Queen of England and was named a Barbados national hero by the Act of Parliament.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Jim Brown

    Jim Brown was a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965 and was considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history. He was recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times and has won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Bill Russell

    Bill Russell was the Centrepiece of the great Boston Celtics team of the 60s and has won 11 NBA championships in a period of 13 years.  He was a 5 time MVP and a 12-time all-star.  He also captained the US Olympic team to gold in 1956.  He later became the first African-American NBA coach and was recently awarded the presidential medal of freedom. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Jim Clark

    Two times Formula 1 world champion with Lotus, Jim Clark has set records at the time for most grand-Prix wins and most pole positions.  He was also a versatile driver, winning the Indy 500 and the British Touring Car Championship, as well as finishing 3rd at Le Man’s 24-hour race.   

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

    A 6 times record holder and 19 times All-star, Kareem Abdul Jabbar has won the NBA championship 6 times, 5 of which were with the Lakers. He is famous for his “Skyhook” shot and remains as the NBA record holder of all-time point’s scorer and is 3rd on rebounds and blocks.  Since retiring, he has appeared in several films (including airplane!) and is currently a cultural ambassador for the US.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Jack Nicklaus

    Popular by the pet name of “Golden Bear”, Nicklaus still holds the record for most major victories just at the age of 18. He had won the grand slam of all majors at just 26 years old (the youngest ever).  He was 8-times the PGA Tour money winner and 6 time PGA Player of the Year.  These achievements make him widely considered the best golfer of all time.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Bobby Orr

    Orr was a 3 time NHL MVP and 8 time best defenseman, being the only defenseman to be a leading league scorer.  He scored the winning goal in 2 NHL finals for the Boston Bruins, who had gone 25 years without winning before he joined.  Orr was the highest-paid player in the league as a rookie and gained the first NHL million dollar contract, although he retired due to injuries at just 30 years old.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Mark Spitz

    Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals, including 7 in 1972 alone, a record that stood for more than 30 years.  He achieved this despite retiring at 22 years old.  He set 35 world records during his career, excelling in butterfly, freestyle, and medley.   He became a pin-up shortly after the Olympics, whilst after joking his iconic mustache made his quicker, the Russian Swimming team adopted them.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Walter Payton

    Nickname “sweetness”, he held the records for most yards, most touchdowns, and most carries.  He was twice MVP, 9 times pro-bowl, and even made 8 touchdown passes, a record for a non-quarterback.  He finally won the Superbowl with the Chicago Bears in 1985.  His motto was “never die easy” and he refused to ever run out of bounds or to celebrate touchdowns.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Gareth Edwards

    Gareth Edwards was believed to be the greatest Rugby player ever.  The Scrum Half won 3 grand slams with Wales and was critical to the winning British Lions tours of New Zealand (1971) and South Africa (1974).  He had fantastic all-round skills, including passing, running, and kicking and he scored what many consider to the best try ever in 1973 for the Barbarians.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Nadia Comaneci

    Comaneci was the first gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect 10 in the Olympics, which she did age just 15 years old.  She won 3 Olympic gold medals in 1976, including the all-round and 2 more in 1980, as well as winning 2 worlds and 9 Europan Championships, the first one at just 13 years old.  When she gets her 10, the scoreboard showed a 1, as nobody has even accounted for this possibility.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Martina Navaratilova

    Navaratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles and a record 41 doubles titles, including 9 Wimbledon Singles titles.  She was number 1 in singles for 7 years in total, whilst being number 1 in doubles for 5 years.  In 1983, she lost only 1 of her 87 games  Her last grand slam doubles title came just a couple of weeks before her 50th birthday and an incredible 34 years after her first.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Joe Montana

    The San Francisco 49ers Quarterback won 4 Super bowls, winning a record 3 Super Bowl MVP awards.  He also won the NFL MVP in both 1989 and 1990 and was selected for 8 pro bowls.   He was most famous for his calmness under pressure and he led his teams to over 304th quarter comebacks and famously throw last-minute touchdown passes for the championship and Superbowl in 1981. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Zico

    The Brazilian playmaker is considered one of the most skillful passers and finishers ever, winning 3 South American footballers of the year awards (finishing 2nd twice more) and 4 Brazilian Championships.  He led Brazil into 3 world cups, but despite being the talisman of one of the best teams in 1982, he famously didn’t win any.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Carl Lewis

    Carl Lewis won 9 Olympic gold medals and 8 World Championship golds, across 100m, 200m, relay, and Long Jump.  He went more than 60 competitions unbeaten at Long Jump over 10 years and still holds the indoor world record.  He is a vegan who attributes some of his later success to his diet.  He was also drafted for the NBA and NFL, despite never playing these sports competitively.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Marco Van Basten

    Van Basten won 2 European Cups with AC Milan and the European Championships in 1988 with Holland, a tournament in which he won the best player.  He also won 3 European and 1 world player of the Year.  In total, he scored more than 250 goals, despite having to retire with injuries aged just 28 years old.  He was part of the great 1992 Milan side which went a whole season unbeaten.  

greatest athletes of all time

    1. Lawrence Taylor

      He is considered the greatest defensive player in history, the NY Giants linebacker won 2 super bowls.  He won a record 3 consecutive defensive player of the years and one league MVP, with 7 consecutive years of double-digit sacks.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Alain Prost

    Prost has won 4 World Drivers Championships, with 2 separate teams, Mclaren and Williams.  He won a record 51 Grand Prix, a record that stood for 14 years.  He was famous for his fierce rivalry with Ayrton Senna, particularly when they were teammates with Mclaren.  Prost was nicknamed the “professor” for his intellectual approach to racing and later founded his own F1 “Prost” team. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Jerry Rice

    Rice is generally considered to be the best wide receiver in NFL history, leading the all-time lists in receptions, touchdown receptions, and yards.   He is also the highest-scoring non-kicker in NFL history.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Steffi Graf

    Steffi Graf has won 22 major singles titles, the most in the open era for either gender or the only person to win at least 4 titles in each major, showing her versatility by surface.  She is also the only player to win a calendar grand slam (all titles in the same year) and was a record 377 weeks at world no.1. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Aytron Senna

    Widely considered one of the fastest drivers of all time, Senna won 3 Formula 1 World Championships.  He was particularly known for his skill in difficult driving conditions, particularly in the wet or difficult tracks (He won the Monaco Grand Prix a record 6 times).  He had a famous rivalry with Alain Prost. He died infamously on the track in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, aged just 34 years old. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Stephen Hendry

    The most successful snooker player ever, Stephen Hendry has was the World Number 1 for 8 consecutive years and has won 7 World Championships, the first of which he won at just 21 years old.   He also holds records for most ever ranking event wins as well as century breaks, of which he made a remarkable 775, including 11 maximums.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Shane Warne

    Widely considered the best spin bowler of all time, Shane Warne held the record at the time for the highest number of Test wickets.  He famously bowled the “ball of the century” against Gatting, which span an incredible distance.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Brian Lara

    Lara was a prolific run-scorer and is the only cricket player ever to score more than 500 runs in an innings.  He also holds the record for highest innings score in international test cricket, being the only player to score 400 and shares the record for most runs in a single test over (28).  He was twice made ‘Wisden Cricketer of the Year’.  

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Roger Federer

    Roger Federer has won more singles Grand Slams than any other male tennis player at 20, including at least one of each Grand Slam.  He has 7 Wimbledon titles and also holds the record for most weeks at world no.1 including 5 years consecutively, first gaining the status in 2004 and still no. 1 in 2018.  Federer is remarkably popular and has won fans award for the favorite player for 12 years straight.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Michael Schumacher

    Michael Schumacher won a record 7 Formula 1 World Championships, winning in both Ferrari and Benetton cars.  He holds several all-time records, including most races won, most pole positions, and is the only driver to finish in the top 3 in every race in a season.  In 2013, he suffered a skiing accident which has left him severely disabled after being in a coma for many months.

greatest athletes of all time

  1.  Sachin Tendulkar

    Sachin Tendulkar is the all-time highest run-scorer in both test and one-day international cricket, since his debut at the age of 16.  He is the only player to score 100 centuries in international cricket and was the first player ever to hit a double-century in a one-day game.  Simply known as “God” in India, Obama once said he reduced the US economy’s efficiency every time he came out to bat.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Zinedine Zidane

    Zinedine Zidane is a 3-time winner of World Footballer of the Year, who inspired France to the World Cup on home soil in 1998, with 2 goals in the final. He also winning ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 2006, despite being sent off in the final for head-butting.  He was regarded as an expensive player ever at the time, scoring an incredible volley with his weaker foot to win the 2001 Champions League Final for Madrid.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Lin Dan

    Lin Dan is a 5-time World Champion, as well as a 5-time All-England Champion, and is the only person to win consecutive singles gold medals at two different Olympics.  He is also the only player to win a “Super Grand Slam” winning all 9 major badminton titles in his career and has been playing for the Chinese Badminton team since he was just 18 years old. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Tiger Woods

    Tiger Woods has won 14 major titles, including each major at least 3 times.  Woods spent more than 9 years as the world no.1, holding the all-time record for this and most money list wins, being the highest PGA earner in 10 different seasons.  He was the world’s highest-earning athlete for much of the decade.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Lionel Messi

    Popular for his dribbling skills, Messi is regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. He has won the Balon D’Or greatest player, a joint record 5 times, and won Best Player at the 2014 World Cup.  He has scored over 600 league goals and is the 2nd top scorer ever in the European Champions League.  He has won 8 La Liga titles and 4 Champions Leagues. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Rafael Nadal

    The greatest clay-court player ever, Nadal has won 10 French Open titles, amongst 16 grand slams in total (2nd most ever).  He reached the Career Grand Slam (winning each) by just 24 years old and won his first Grand Slam as a teenager, the French Open at his first attempt.  Nadal is famous for his aggressive baseline style. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Lebron James

    James has won 4 NBA MVP awards and 3 NBA Championships, as well as 2 Olympic Gold Medals. He is the all-time playoff top scorer and all-time all-stars top scorer, gaining 14 All-Star appearances. He has become known as the face of the MBA and was named by Time in 2017 as one of the top 100 most influential people in the World.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Billie Jean King

    Former World No. 1 professional tennis player, Billie Jean King is regarded as one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. She won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 in singles, 16 in women’s doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King is an advocate for gender equality and social justice. She campaigned for equal pay when the Open Era began in 1968 and became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in 1971. 

greatest athletes of all time

  1.  Lindsay Vonn

    Lindsey Vonn is one of only two female skiers to win four World Cup overall championships and has won three consecutive titles from 2008-10 and another in 2012. She was also the first American woman to win a gold medal downhill, which she did at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She is also one of six women to win a World Cup race in all five disciplines of alpine skiing. She is one of the greatest skiers of all time behind three Olympic medals, four World Cup titles, 82 World Cup victories, and two World Championship gold medals, among other accomplishments.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Alex Morgan

    Alex Morgan is the co-captain for the United States Women’s Soccer Team and won her second consecutive FIFA World Cup championship in 2019. In 2012, Morgan recorded 28 goals and 21 assists to become the second American woman to score 20 goals and 20 assists in the same calendar year alongside Mia Hamm. She was also the sixth and youngest US player to score 20 goals in a single year.

greatest athletes of all time

  1. Serena Williams

    Williams is highly regarded as one of the best female tennis players of the Open Era. Her victories have shaped her into an inspirational figure in the sport, especially to children, but she has also been met with backlash by others.

greatest athletes of all time

Williams holds the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined among active players and tied for third on the all-time list. She is second in the Open Era. Her 23 Grand Slam singles titles are a record for the most tournament wins in the Open Era. In 2019, she was the only woman on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, according to Forbes.

  1. Danica Patrick

    Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. She accomplished multiple firsts for women in the sport, including being the first and only woman to win an IndyCar Series race at the 2008 Indy Japan 300.

greatest athletes of all time

Patrick also had the highest finish by a woman in the Indianapolis 500 (third) and Daytona 500 (eighth). She did not endure as much success as many expected, but she had an undeniable impact on the sport. In a predominantly male industry, Patrick is often credited for breaking the gender barrier and inspiring more women to take part in auto racing and motorsports.

  1. Ronda Rousey

    Ronda Rousey is a professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist and is considered to be one of the greatest female athletes ever as the only woman to win both a UFC and WWE championship. She is also the only woman to headline a pay-per-view event.

greatest athletes of all time

At the 2008 Olympics, Rousey won a bronze medal in judo, becoming the first American woman to ever do so. She took part in the first UFC women’s fight, successfully defending her title against Liza Carmouche. Rousey was the first female fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. That same year, she signed a contract with WWE and began professional wrestling.

  1. Maria Sharapova

    A professional tennis player, Maria Sharapova is the only Russian to have a career in Grand Slam. Sharapova was ranked world No. 1 when she was just 18 and was the first female from Russia to do so. Sharapova has gained 36 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles, which ranks third behind Serena and Venus Williams among active players. She is considered one of the best tennis players to play the game.

greatest athletes of all time

Also Read: The 50 Most Popular Women on the Internet throughout the Decade

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