GOAT Rank · 4154

Greatest male of all time

This ranking is led by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Phelps. GOAT Rank currently ranks 4154 eligible athletes 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

1219

Mehdi Baala

80.8

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1997–2012
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Mehdi Baala

1221

Gianluigi Donnarumma

80.8

Sport: Football
Career: 2016–active
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

Peak: 85.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 75.0

Athlete: Gianluigi Donnarumma

1224

Michael Laudrup

80.7

Sport: Football
Career: 1981–1998
Country: 🇩🇰 Denmark

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Michael Laudrup

1225

Willie Mays

80.7

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1951–1973
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 94.0
Statistics: 95.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 94.0

Athlete: Willie Mays

1226

Anil Kumble

80.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1989–2008
Country: 🇮🇳 India

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Anil Kumble

1227

Abebe Bikila

80.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1956–1969
Country: 🇪🇹 Ethiopia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Abebe Bikila

1228

Klay Thompson

80.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2011–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Klay Thompson

1230

Neil Johnston

80.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1951–1959
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 62.0

Athlete: Neil Johnston

1231

Zelmo Beaty

80.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1962–1975
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Zelmo Beaty

1233

Misbah-ul-Haq

80.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1998–2017
Country: 🇵🇰 Pakistan

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Misbah-ul-Haq

1235

Uli Hoeneß

80.7

Sport: Football
Career: 1970–1979
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 60.0

Athlete: Uli Hoeneß

1236

Jan Vertonghen

80.7

Sport: Football
Career: 2006–2025
Country: 🇧🇪 Belgium

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

Athlete: Jan Vertonghen

1239

Dave Bing

80.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1966–1978
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Dave Bing

1240

Richie Benaud

80.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1952–1964
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Richie Benaud

1241

Alec Bedser

80.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1946–1960
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Alec Bedser

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

1245

Paul Collingwood

80.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1996–2018
Country: 🇬🇧 England

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Paul Collingwood

1246

Mushtaq Ahmed

80.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1986–2006
Country: 🇵🇰 Pakistan

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Mushtaq Ahmed

1247

Son Heung-min

80.7

Sport: Football
Career: 2010–active
Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 65.0
Longevity: 85.0

Athlete: Son Heung-min

1248

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard

80.7

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2018–active
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Yohann Ndoye-Brouard

1250

Jaromír Jágr

80.6

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1988–2024
Country: 🇨🇿 Czechia

Peak: 91.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 93.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 99.0

Athlete: Jaromír Jágr

1251

Hank Aaron

80.6

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1954–1976
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 93.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 96.0

Athlete: Hank Aaron

1252

Roy Emerson

80.6

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1953–1983
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

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

Athlete: Roy Emerson

1253

Oscar De La Hoya

80.6

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1992–2008
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Oscar De La Hoya

1254

Yannick Agnel

80.6

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2008–2016
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Yannick Agnel

1255

Sergei Makarov

80.6

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1976–1997
Country: 🇷🇺 Russia

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

Athlete: Sergei Makarov

1256

Tony Gonzalez

80.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1997–2013
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Tony Gonzalez

1257

Marek Hamšík

80.6

Sport: Football
Career: 2004–2023
Country: 🇸🇰 Slovakia

Peak: 82.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Marek Hamšík

1259

Tom Dolan

80.6

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1993–2002
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Tom Dolan

1261

Lee Evans

80.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1966–1972
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Lee Evans

1262

Bernard King

80.6

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1977–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Bernard King

1263

Larry Myricks

80.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1976–1992
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Larry Myricks

1264

Bobby Chacon

80.6

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1972–1988
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Bobby Chacon

1265

Darrell Green

80.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–2002
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 98.0

Athlete: Darrell Green

1266

Terry Alderman

80.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1974–1993
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Terry Alderman

1267

Dennis Amiss

80.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1960–1987
Country: 🇬🇧 England

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Dennis Amiss

1268

Martin Bicknell

80.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1986–2006
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Martin Bicknell

1269

Saad Al-Asmari

80.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1993–2006
Country: 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Saad Al-Asmari

1271

Steve Smith

80.5

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

1274

Michael Ballack

80.5

Sport: Football
Career: 1995–2012
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Michael Ballack

1275

Alberto Juantorena

80.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1971–1984
Country: 🇨🇺 Cuba

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Alberto Juantorena

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

1280

Paul George

80.5

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2010–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Paul George

1281

Wang Shun

80.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2011–active
Country: 🇨🇳 China

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Wang Shun

1283

Chase Kalisz

80.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2013–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Chase Kalisz

1284

Ken Buchanan

80.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1965–1982
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland

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

Athlete: Ken Buchanan

1285

Michael Carbajal

80.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1989–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Michael Carbajal

1286

Donald Curry

80.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1980–1997
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Donald Curry

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
1219	Mehdi Baala	Athletics	🇫🇷 France	1997–2012	80.8
1221	Gianluigi Donnarumma	Football	🇮🇹 Italy	2016–active	80.8
1224	Michael Laudrup	Football	🇩🇰 Denmark	1981–1998	80.7
1225	Willie Mays	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1951–1973	80.7
1226	Anil Kumble	Cricket	🇮🇳 India	1989–2008	80.7
1227	Abebe Bikila	Athletics	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1956–1969	80.7
1228	Klay Thompson	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2011–active	80.7
1230	Neil Johnston	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1951–1959	80.7
1231	Zelmo Beaty	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1962–1975	80.7
1233	Misbah-ul-Haq	Cricket	🇵🇰 Pakistan	1998–2017	80.7
1235	Uli Hoeneß	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	1970–1979	80.7
1236	Jan Vertonghen	Football	🇧🇪 Belgium	2006–2025	80.7
1239	Dave Bing	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1966–1978	80.7
1240	Richie Benaud	Cricket	🇦🇺 Australia	1952–1964	80.7
1241	Alec Bedser	Cricket	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1946–1960	80.7
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
1245	Paul Collingwood	Cricket	🇬🇧 England	1996–2018	80.7
1246	Mushtaq Ahmed	Cricket	🇵🇰 Pakistan	1986–2006	80.7
1247	Son Heung-min	Football	🇰🇷 South Korea	2010–active	80.7
1248	Yohann Ndoye-Brouard	Swimming	🇫🇷 France	2018–active	80.7
1250	Jaromír Jágr	Ice Hockey	🇨🇿 Czechia	1988–2024	80.6
1251	Hank Aaron	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1954–1976	80.6
1252	Roy Emerson	Tennis	🇦🇺 Australia	1953–1983	80.6
1253	Oscar De La Hoya	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1992–2008	80.6
1254	Yannick Agnel	Swimming	🇫🇷 France	2008–2016	80.6
1255	Sergei Makarov	Ice Hockey	🇷🇺 Russia	1976–1997	80.6
1256	Tony Gonzalez	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1997–2013	80.6
1257	Marek Hamšík	Football	🇸🇰 Slovakia	2004–2023	80.6
1259	Tom Dolan	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1993–2002	80.6
1261	Lee Evans	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1966–1972	80.6
1262	Bernard King	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1977–1993	80.6
1263	Larry Myricks	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1976–1992	80.6
1264	Bobby Chacon	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1972–1988	80.6
1265	Darrell Green	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–2002	80.6
1266	Terry Alderman	Cricket	🇦🇺 Australia	1974–1993	80.6
1267	Dennis Amiss	Cricket	🇬🇧 England	1960–1987	80.6
1268	Martin Bicknell	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1986–2006	80.6
1269	Saad Al-Asmari	Athletics	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	1993–2006	80.6
1271	Steve Smith	Cricket	🇦🇺 Australia	2008–active	80.5
1274	Michael Ballack	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	1995–2012	80.5
1275	Alberto Juantorena	Athletics	🇨🇺 Cuba	1971–1984	80.5
1276	Tony Zale	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1934–1948	80.5
1280	Paul George	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2010–active	80.5
1281	Wang Shun	Swimming	🇨🇳 China	2011–active	80.5
1283	Chase Kalisz	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–active	80.5
1284	Ken Buchanan	Boxing	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland	1965–1982	80.5
1285	Michael Carbajal	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1989–1999	80.5
1286	Donald Curry	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1980–1997	80.5

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.

Related rankings

Greatest athletes of all time Greatest female of all time Greatest active Athletes Greatest retired Athletes Greatest Boxers of all time Greatest Swimmers of all time Greatest Football Players of all time Greatest Tennis Players of all time Greatest Golfers of all time Greatest Formula 1 Drivers of all time Greatest Esports Players of all time Greatest Basketball Players of all time