Naming the best athletes of all time across different sports is extremely challenging, mostly because there’s little common ground to compare them. Comparing a golfer with a Formula 1 star feels impossible, even if they’re both legends of their sport, because how do you measure who’s better? If you do try and judge one as better than the other, fans of the other sport will undoubtedly challenge your assertions because of the knowledge and biases they hold.
Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but he has repeatedly found himself at the heart of a debate in tennis: Who is the greatest between himself, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic? Nadal is the King of Clay with 81 consecutive wins on the surface, the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era. The Spaniard has won a record 14 French Open titles on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
He has also won 92 ATP Tour singles titles, with 22 Grand Slams, 36 Masters titles, and an Olympic gold medal. He is one of only three men to complete the career Golden Slam of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and the Olympics in singles, alongside Djokovic and Andre Agassi. Of those 92 wins, 63 of them came on clay, cementing his prowess on those courts.
The Mallorcan became one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching number two in the world and winning 16 titles before the age of 20. He was the youngest male tennis player to achieve the Career Grand Slam aged 24 before his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz took the record aged 22, after winning the Australian Open in 2026.
Now, Rafa has named his top 10 greatest athletes of all time, but there’s a notable exclusion: Roger Federer. This exclusion is shocking, but who has the 39-year-old included over him?
Air Jordan was a two-time Olympic champion with the United States and a 10-time NBA scoring leader. Larry Bird described him as ‘God disguised as Jordan’ after he set the single-game playoff record of 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986.
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus is listed second. Widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, Nicklaus won 117 professional tournaments in his career, including a record 18 Major championships.
He became the first player to win The Masters in back-to-back years, and holds the record for the most Masters victories, with six, and the most Players Championships, with three. By winning The Masters, the 1963 PGA Championship, and the 1966 Open Championship, he became the youngest player at the time to complete the Career Grand Slam, aged 26.
Tiger Woods
Another golfer in Tiger Woods also made the cut. Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour wins and ranks second in men’s Major championships with 15. He is the youngest to achieve the Career Grand Slam and is the only player to have consecutively won all four Majors.
Some debates have been settled here, including Ronaldo vs Messi.
The American has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings and has been heralded as ‘the greatest closer in history’ by golf experts, with a record of 14-1 when going into the closing round of a Major with at least a portion of the lead.
Novak Djokovic
The aforementioned Djokovic was next to be named, which further raises eyebrows as to Federer’s exclusion. The Serbian has been ranked as the world number one by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for a record 428 weeks, has finished as the year-end number one a record eight times, and has been ranked number one at least once in a year for a record 13 different years.
Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slams, including a record 10 Australian Open titles, a record 40 Masters, and an Olympic gold medal. He is the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of all four Grand Slams simultaneously across three different surfaces and, in singles, is the only man to achieve a triple Grand Slam and win all the Big Titles over the course of his career and achieve a Career Golden Masters twice.
Ali remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion and his joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years. He fought the ‘Fight of the Century’ against Joe Frazier, which is considered the biggest boxing match in history. It was the first time ever that two undefeated boxers who held the world heavyweight title would fight each other. While Ali would go on to lose, it showed his stardom as it was arguably the most anticipated and publicised sporting event of all time.
Michael Schumacher
Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher also forms part of Nadal’s list. The German holds the joint-most Drivers’ Championships in Formula 1 history, alongside Lewis Hamilton with seven and revitalised Ferrari, who hadn’t won a Drivers’ Championship since 1979.
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He broke Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of consecutive titles, which had stood for nearly 50 years and took 91 wins, 155 podiums, and 68 pole positions, and maintains the record for the most fastest laps with 77.
Usain Bolt
Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt was also mentioned. The Jamaican is regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time and is a world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4×100 metres relay. He is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 and 200 metre titles at three consecutive Olympics in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and gained worldwide recognition for his double sprint victory in world record times at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, making him the first person to hold both records since a fully automatic time was required.
Michael Phelps
Another Olympian in Michael Phelps was hailed. With 28 medals across four Olympic Games, Phelps has won more Olympic medals than any other athlete and holds the all-time record for Olympic gold medals with 23, Olympic gold medals in individual events with 13, and Olympic medals in individual events with 16. He is the current record holder in the 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x200m freestyle relay, and has won 82 medals in major international long course competitions with 65 gold, 14 silver, and three bronze medals spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific championships.
Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona also makes Nadal’s list. The Argentine is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of football. While he achieved infamy for his unpenalised handball against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, known as the ‘Hand of God’, his second goal has gone down in the history books for its sheer excellence following a 60m dribble past five England players, which was voted as the ‘Goal of the Century’ by FIFA.com voters in 2002. He would ultimately guide Argentina to victory in 1986 with a pivotal assist to Jorge Barruchaga to make it 3-2 against West Germany.
From football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to American legends Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods – here are the top-earning athletes ever.
Maradona also guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in history in the 1986-1987 season and would win the Coppa Italia in the same year, winning their second Serie A title three years later. He won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona and has achieved much acclaim for his vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling abilities. His diminutive stature allowed him to glide past players, and he combined this with a keen eye for goal and a talent for free-kicks.
Pele
It is Pele who is the last name on the list and his achievements are legendary. One of the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century, the Brazilian holds a Guinness World Record for scoring 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendlies. He won three World Cup titles with Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970, becoming the only player to do so and the youngest World Cup winner aged just 17 and the youngest goalscorer for the nation.
He held the record as the national team’s top goalscorer for 50 years with 77 goals in 92 games before being toppled by Neymar. Pele is also Santos’ all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 games, winning two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups.
Nicknamed O Rei (the King), he averaged almost a goal a game throughout his career and could score with either foot, providing assists with his excellent vision and passing ability. He is credited with hailing football as ‘the beautiful game’ and scored a hat-trick against Benfica in Santos’ 1962 Intercontinental Cup win, with Benfica’s goalkeeper Costa Pereira remarking: “I arrived hoping to stop a great man, but I went away convinced I had been undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us.”
Nadal has certainly picked a star-studded list of sporting legends, though, he himself is undoubtedly part of that conversation. While it would be unfair to choose just one as the best ever athlete, ignoring the others’ prowess, we have been lucky to be surrounded by such talent, and if Nadal were to do another list after a few years, who’s to say that there wouldn’t be some new legends on the scene?
Brighton & Hove Albion ace Carlos Baleba is on Newcastle United’s list of targets this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
It has been a summer of change on Tyneside with three high-profile player exits from the football club and Matthias Jaissle replacing Eddie Howe as head coach.
In terms of the playing squad, the Magpies have cashed in on Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes following their respective transfers to Barcelona, Tottenham and Arsenal.
Players have come in through the door, though, but Jaissle looks to have quite the task on his hands as Newcastle bid to make a fast start to the season.
Newcastle were in pre-season friendly action on Wednesday evening, losing 3-1 to Everton at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.
Newcastle have added to their midfield with the additions of Steur and Bamba this summer but the loss of Tonali and Guimaraes could prove huge given what they contributed to the team.
Further quality in the middle of the park is needed, with a statement signing in midfield something that would go down incredibly well considering the outgoings ahead of the new term.
“If he plays his position really, really smart, no one can really outplay him or win duels against him. And I think if he concentrates on that and shows his ability then after, on the ball or driving with the ball, it’s frightening what he can do.” – Pascal Gross on Carlos Baleba
Sources have told the Daily Mail that the 22-year-old is one to keep an eye on as the window progresses as he is currently nursing an ankle injury, but he is viewed as an ‘ambitious’ target.
What Baleba would add to Newcastle’s midfield
Baleba has earned rave reviews since joining Brighton from Ligue 1 side Lille in 2023.
Baleba is such a talented midfielder that very few players can outplay him, with Brighton teammate Pascal Gross pointing to his ‘wow’ factor and stating that “it’s frightening what he can do”.
“I think Carlos is so talented, he gives so much to the team. I always think when he’s in good positions he can show his physicality. When he’s not in good positions, sometimes you can’t affect it anymore,” Gross told Brighton & Hove Albion’s official website.
“So if he plays his position really, really smart, no one can really outplay him or win duels against him. And I think if he concentrates on that and shows his ability then after, on the ball or driving with the ball, it’s frightening what he can do.
“I think it’s focus and concentration and keeping it simple then you will see actions where the whole stadium goes ‘Wow’. As a holding midfielder, it’s about reliable consistency and we’re working with him on that.
“Carlos is a top guy and a top player. He did really well against Chelsea. I’m happy for him.”
One of the finest African footballers of all time, striker Samuel Eto’o started his senior career at Real Madrid, although he spent much of his three-year spell with the club away on loan. Mallorca, who initially took him on a temporary basis in 2000, made the move permanent later that year.
Eto’o developed into a highly promising player in La Liga with Mallorca, establishing himself as a dependable goalscorer and catching the attention of Real Madrid’s biggest rivals. In 2004, the Cameroonian joined Barcelona, spending the following five years at the club and developing into one of the world’s leading strikers.
During his time with Barca, Eto’o collected three La Liga titles and lifted the Champions League trophy twice. Barcelona completed a European treble in 2008/09, and Eto’o would achieve the same feat in the following campaign after joining Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.
Eto’o moved to Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011 before making his first switch to the Premier League two years later. He spent one season at Chelsea before joining Everton when his contract expired, leaving the Toffees and English football in 2015. During the final four years of his playing career, Eto’o represented Sampdoria, Antalyaspor, Konyaspor and Qatar SC before retiring in 2019.
Samuel Eto’o Club Career Stats
Playing Career
1997-2019
Appearances
754
Goals
368
Assists
117
Notable Clubs
Mallorca, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea
The former striker has continued to remain involved in football and Eto’o has offered plenty of his views, including in 2021 when, as reported by AS via Squawka, he revealed which player he believed could challenge Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or record.
Eto’o Predicted Bright Future For Real Madrid Ace
In 2021, Kylian Mbappe was in his fourth season with Paris Saint-Germain, having arrived from Monaco and been tasked, alongside stars such as Lionel Messi and Neymar, with helping the club win the Champions League. Although only 23 at the time, Mbappe had already won the World Cup and established himself among the finest players in his position.
“He (Kylian Mbappe) is there and it has arrived at a good moment, in which Messi and Cristiano (Ronaldo), the gods of football, are in the night of their careers due to age and Mbappe is arriving. I hope he will be the biggest for the next 10 or 15 years. He has everything to be this unique player that soccer needs after these two monsters.”
Mbappe remained with PSG for another three seasons, failing to win either the Ballon d’Or or the Champions League before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024. The Parisians, in their first campaign without the French forward, secured their first Champions League title, while Mbappe did not win a major trophy during his debut season in Madrid despite producing strong individual performances.
Real Madrid are not accustomed to going without silverware, but PSG have since gone back-to-back in Europe while Mbappe is still waiting for a major trophy in Spain. Mbappe could still make a push for the Ballon d’Or, although surpassing Messi’s record of eight victories would require an extraordinary level of achievement.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 13-08-26)
Arsenal have held talks with Galatasaray over a deal to sign striker Victor Osimhen, according to reports.
The Gunners are understood to be in the market to strengthen their attack this summer, despite winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004 and reaching the Champions League final last season, scoring over 100 goals in all competitions in the process.
But after missing out on Morgan Rogers, and with the future of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli in question, Mikel Arteta is keen to provide more competition in the striker position for Viktor Gyokeres, and a move for the Nigerian has now been spoken about with the Turkish champions.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Arsenal and Galatasaray have held formal talks about a deal that could take Osimhen to the Emirates Stadium.
