GOAT Rank · 135

Greatest Athletes who debuted in the 1930s

This ranking is led by Ángel Labruna, Stanley Matthews and Joe Louis. GOAT Rank currently ranks 135 eligible athletes who debuted in the 1930s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Ángel Labruna ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 92.1.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →

#AthleteGOAT Score

Ángel Labruna

92.1

Sport: Football
Career: 1939–1961
Country: 🇦🇷 Argentina

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 95.0

Athlete: Ángel Labruna

Stanley Matthews

88.8

Sport: Football
Career: 1932–1965
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 98.0

Athlete: Stanley Matthews

147

Joe Louis

87.7

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1934–1951
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 93.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Joe Louis

220

Fanny Blankers-Koen

86.9

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1935–1955
Country: 🇳🇱 Netherlands

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Fanny Blankers-Koen

242

Fritz Walter

86.7

Sport: Football
Career: 1937–1959
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Fritz Walter

278

Jesse Owens

86.3

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1932–1936
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 97.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Jesse Owens

350

Ragnhild Hveger

85.6

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1936–1952
Country: 🇩🇰 Denmark

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 93.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Ragnhild Hveger

379

Len Hutton

85.4

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1934–1960
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Len Hutton

397

Archie Moore

85.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1935–1963
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 96.0

Athlete: Archie Moore

416

Henry Armstrong

85.2

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1931–1945
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Henry Armstrong

455

Gunnar Gren

85.0

Sport: Football
Career: 1938–1960
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Gunnar Gren

526

Don Budge

84.5

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1932–1954
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 98.0
Dominance: 94.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Don Budge

770

Denis Compton

83.1

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1937–1957
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Peak: 98.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Denis Compton

811

Buddy Jeannette

82.9

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1938–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Buddy Jeannette

842

Charley Burley

82.8

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1936–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Charley Burley

873

Bobby McDermott

82.6

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1933–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Bobby McDermott

885

Jersey Joe Walcott

82.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1930–1953
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Jersey Joe Walcott

909

Pop Gates

82.4

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1938–1955
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Pop Gates

910

Al Cervi

82.4

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1937–1953
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Al Cervi

976

Sammy Angott

82.1

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1935–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Sammy Angott

994

Jack McCracken

82.0

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1930–1946
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Jack McCracken

1003

Eddie Booker

82.0

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1935–1944
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Eddie Booker

1072

Marcel Cerdan

81.6

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1934–1949
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Marcel Cerdan

1102

Lou Ambers

81.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1932–1941
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Lou Ambers

1133

Billy Conn

81.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1934–1948
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Billy Conn

1160

Sammy Baugh

81.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1937–1952
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Sammy Baugh

1242

John Bromwich

80.7

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1937–1954
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: John Bromwich

1243

Adrian Quist

80.7

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1933–1950
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Adrian Quist

1244

Fred Apostoli

80.7

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1934–1948
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Fred Apostoli

1276

Tony Zale

80.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1934–1948
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Tony Zale

1392

Gottfried von Cramm

79.9

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1932–1953
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Gottfried von Cramm

1417

Bobby Riggs

79.8

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1936–1959
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Bobby Riggs

1432

Hank Luisetti

79.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1935–1941
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 58.0

Athlete: Hank Luisetti

1437

Ace Gruenig

79.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1934–1948
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Ace Gruenig

1500

Frank Parker

79.4

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1932–1949
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Frank Parker

1501

Lew Jenkins

79.4

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1935–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Lew Jenkins

1558

Sixto Escobar

79.1

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1931–1941
Country: 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Sixto Escobar

1564

Don McNeill

79.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1936–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Don McNeill

1565

Bill Copson

79.1

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1932–1950
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Bill Copson

1566

Tom Dollery

79.1

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1934–1955
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Tom Dollery

1594

Ted Williams

78.9

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1939–1960
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 95.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 89.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Ted Williams

1699

Freddie Brown

78.5

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1930–1953
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Freddie Brown

1771

Martin Donnelly

78.1

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1936–1961
Country: 🇳🇿 New Zealand

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Martin Donnelly

1775

Dennis Brookes

78.1

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1934–1959
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 72.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Dennis Brookes

1812

Mel Hein

77.9

Sport: American Football
Career: 1931–1945
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Mel Hein

1826

Alice Marble

77.8

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1931–1940
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Alice Marble

1842

Sid Luckman

77.8

Sport: American Football
Career: 1939–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Sid Luckman

1852

Inman Jackson

77.8

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1930–1942
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Inman Jackson

1887

Yvon Petra

77.6

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1937–1951
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Yvon Petra

1961

Bob Feller

77.3

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1936–1956
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Bob Feller

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
18	Ángel Labruna	Football	🇦🇷 Argentina	1939–1961	92.1
91	Stanley Matthews	Football	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1932–1965	88.8
147	Joe Louis	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1934–1951	87.7
220	Fanny Blankers-Koen	Athletics	🇳🇱 Netherlands	1935–1955	86.9
242	Fritz Walter	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	1937–1959	86.7
278	Jesse Owens	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1936	86.3
350	Ragnhild Hveger	Swimming	🇩🇰 Denmark	1936–1952	85.6
379	Len Hutton	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1934–1960	85.4
397	Archie Moore	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1935–1963	85.3
416	Henry Armstrong	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1931–1945	85.2
455	Gunnar Gren	Football	🇸🇪 Sweden	1938–1960	85.0
526	Don Budge	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1954	84.5
770	Denis Compton	Cricket	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1937–1957	83.1
811	Buddy Jeannette	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1938–1950	82.9
842	Charley Burley	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1936–1950	82.8
873	Bobby McDermott	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1933–1950	82.6
885	Jersey Joe Walcott	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1930–1953	82.5
909	Pop Gates	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1938–1955	82.4
910	Al Cervi	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1937–1953	82.4
976	Sammy Angott	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1935–1950	82.1
994	Jack McCracken	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1930–1946	82.0
1003	Eddie Booker	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1935–1944	82.0
1072	Marcel Cerdan	Boxing	🇫🇷 France	1934–1949	81.6
1102	Lou Ambers	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1941	81.5
1133	Billy Conn	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1934–1948	81.3
1160	Sammy Baugh	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1937–1952	81.2
1242	John Bromwich	Tennis	🇦🇺 Australia	1937–1954	80.7
1243	Adrian Quist	Tennis	🇦🇺 Australia	1933–1950	80.7
1244	Fred Apostoli	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1934–1948	80.7
1276	Tony Zale	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1934–1948	80.5
1392	Gottfried von Cramm	Tennis	🇩🇪 Germany	1932–1953	79.9
1417	Bobby Riggs	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1936–1959	79.8
1432	Hank Luisetti	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1935–1941	79.7
1437	Ace Gruenig	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1934–1948	79.7
1500	Frank Parker	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1949	79.4
1501	Lew Jenkins	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1935–1950	79.4
1558	Sixto Escobar	Boxing	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	1931–1941	79.1
1564	Don McNeill	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1936–1950	79.1
1565	Bill Copson	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1932–1950	79.1
1566	Tom Dollery	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1934–1955	79.1
1594	Ted Williams	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1939–1960	78.9
1699	Freddie Brown	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1930–1953	78.5
1771	Martin Donnelly	Cricket	🇳🇿 New Zealand	1936–1961	78.1
1775	Dennis Brookes	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1934–1959	78.1
1812	Mel Hein	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1931–1945	77.9
1826	Alice Marble	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1931–1940	77.8
1842	Sid Luckman	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1939–1950	77.8
1852	Inman Jackson	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1930–1942	77.8
1887	Yvon Petra	Tennis	🇫🇷 France	1937–1951	77.6
1961	Bob Feller	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1936–1956	77.3

Compare the leaders

Ángel Labruna vs Stanley Matthews

Read the full methodology

Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.

Read the full methodology

Frequently asked questions

How is this ranking calculated?

Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Who is included?

According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.

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