GGOATRANK

GOAT Rank · 730

Greatest Athletes who debuted in the 2000s

This ranking is led by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Phelps. GOAT Rank currently ranks 730 eligible athletes who debuted in the 2000s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Lionel Messi ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 97.0.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →
#AthleteGOAT Score
Sport
Cricket
Career
2005–2019
Country
🇵🇰 Pakistan
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Sana Mir
Sport
Boxing
Career
2002–2022
Country
🇲🇽 Mexico
Peak
90.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Jackie Nava
Sport
Swimming
Career
2008–2012
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
64.0
Athlete: Rebecca Soni
Sport
Cricket
Career
2008–active
Country
🇦🇺 Australia
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Steve Smith
Sport
Football
Career
2007–2023
Country
🇧🇪 Belgium
Peak
88.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
82.0
Honours
78.0
Longevity
74.0
Athlete: Eden Hazard
Sport
Basketball
Career
2005–2024
Country
🇪🇸 Spain
Peak
88.0
Dominance
76.0
Statistics
82.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Ricky Rubio
Sport
Tennis
Career
2002–active
Country
🇮🇹 Italy
Peak
90.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
92.0
Athlete: Sara Errani
Sport
Cricket
Career
2007–2023
Country
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
Peak
90.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
76.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Tamim Iqbal
Sport
Tennis
Career
2000–2012
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
80.0
Athlete: Andy Roddick
Sport
Boxing
Career
2002–2018
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
92.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: David Haye

Compare the leaders

Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo

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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