Who is better, Ding or Ma Long?
Ma Long leads with a GOAT score of 97.3 against 89.7 for Ding Ning — a gap of 7.6 points on GOAT Rank's weighted model.
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Quick answer
GOAT Rank currently ranks Ma Long above Ding Ning: 97.3 vs 89.7. Ma Long leads on Honours, Longevity, Dominance.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →Ma Long wins: Dominance, Peak, Longevity, Honours, Statistics
Ding wins: no category outright
Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Ma Long leads in 5 of 5 weighted categories.
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
Setting the pace at age 21
Ma Long is -78.8% behind Ding's pace at age 21
Every career is cut at the season the athlete turned 21, so a rookie today is measured against exactly what a legend had banked by the same birthday.
Ma Long leads with a GOAT score of 97.3 against 89.7 for Ding Ning — a gap of 7.6 points on GOAT Rank's weighted model.
Ding does not lead any of the five categories; Ma Long is ahead or level on all of them.
Both are scored on peak, dominance, honours, statistics, longevity within their sport. Ding: 89.7, Ma Long: 97.3.
Make your case for Ding vs Ma Long. The scoring is published in full — if you can point at the pillar or the weight you disagree with, we read it. Read the methodology paper.