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

1854

Mykolas Alekna

77.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2021–active
Country: 🇱🇹 Lithuania

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 58.0

Athlete: Mykolas Alekna

1856

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey

77.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2005–2021
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey

1857

Adam Voges

77.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2002–2017
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 74.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Adam Voges

1858

Frank Calder

77.7

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1917–1943
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 94.0

Athlete: Frank Calder

1859

Wilson Kipsang

77.7

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2010–2019
Country: 🇰🇪 Kenya

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Wilson Kipsang

1861

Jim Courier

77.7

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1988–2000
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Jim Courier

1862

Jim Otto

77.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1960–1974
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Jim Otto

1863

Warren Sapp

77.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1995–2007
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Warren Sapp

1864

Tim Brown

77.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1988–2004
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Tim Brown

1865

Joe Schmidt

77.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1953–1965
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Joe Schmidt

1866

Andy Robustelli

77.7

Sport: American Football
Career: 1951–1964
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Andy Robustelli

1867

Basil D'Oliveira

77.7

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1960–1980
Country: 🇬🇧 England

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

Athlete: Basil D'Oliveira

1868

King Clancy

77.7

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1921–1937
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

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

Athlete: King Clancy

1869

David Luiz Moreira Marinho

77.7

Sport: Football
Career: 2006–active
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Peak: 78.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 74.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 85.0

Athlete: David Luiz Moreira Marinho

1870

Lamine Yamal

77.7

Sport: Football
Career: 2023–active
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

Peak: 85.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 70.0
Longevity: 75.0

Athlete: Lamine Yamal

1872

Stefan Edberg

77.6

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1983–1996
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

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

Athlete: Stefan Edberg

1873

Shawn Porter

77.6

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2008–2021
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Shawn Porter

1875

Robin Yount

77.6

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1974–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 94.0

Athlete: Robin Yount

1876

Andrei Arshavin

77.6

Sport: Football
Career: 2000–2018
Country: 🇷🇺 Russia

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 76.0
Honours: 74.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Andrei Arshavin

1879

Mamo Wolde

77.6

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1956–1972
Country: 🇪🇹 Ethiopia

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

Athlete: Mamo Wolde

1880

Fidel LaBarba

77.6

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1924–1933
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Fidel LaBarba

1881

Dickie Moore

77.6

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1951–1968
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

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

Athlete: Dickie Moore

1883

Willie Roaf

77.6

Sport: American Football
Career: 1993–2005
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Willie Roaf

1884

Tim Bresnan

77.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2001–2021
Country: 🇬🇧 England

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

Athlete: Tim Bresnan

1885

Bill Cook

77.6

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1926–1937
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

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

Athlete: Bill Cook

1886

Sidney Wood

77.6

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1927–1945
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Sidney Wood

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

1888

Walter Brearley

77.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1902–1921
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Walter Brearley

1890

Bruno Pezzey

77.6

Sport: Football
Career: 1974–1990
Country: 🇦🇹 Austria

Peak: 82.0
Dominance: 75.0
Statistics: 76.0
Honours: 75.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Bruno Pezzey

1891

Serge Gnabry

77.6

Sport: Football
Career: 2013–active
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 82.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 75.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Serge Gnabry

1892

Yassine Bounou

77.6

Sport: Football
Career: 2011–active
Country: 🇲🇦 Morocco

Peak: 82.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 75.0
Longevity: 75.0

Athlete: Yassine Bounou

1893

Gary Abraham

77.6

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1976–1984
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Gary Abraham

1895

Lawrence Taylor

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Lawrence Taylor

1896

Phil Esposito

77.5

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1963–1981
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

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

Athlete: Phil Esposito

1897

Kane Williamson

77.5

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2010–active
Country: 🇳🇿 New Zealand

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Kane Williamson

1899

Rasheed Wallace

77.5

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1995–2013
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Rasheed Wallace

1900

Marcus Allen

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1982–1997
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Marcus Allen

1901

Night Train Lane

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1952–1965
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Night Train Lane

1903

Kell Brook

77.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2004–2022
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 74.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Kell Brook

1905

Jim Palmer

77.5

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1965–1984
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Jim Palmer

1907

Daniel Wiffen

77.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2019–active
Country: 🇮🇪 Ireland

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 64.0

Athlete: Daniel Wiffen

1908

James Guy

77.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2014–active
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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

Athlete: James Guy

1909

Alexander Dale Oen

77.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2003–2012
Country: 🇳🇴 Norway

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Alexander Dale Oen

1910

Eddie Collins

77.5

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1906–1930
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Eddie Collins

1911

Jonathan Ogden

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1996–2007
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Jonathan Ogden

1912

Eric Dickerson

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1983–1993
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Eric Dickerson

1913

Bobby Layne

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1948–1962
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Bobby Layne

1914

Carl Eller

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1964–1979
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Carl Eller

1915

John Randle

77.5

Sport: American Football
Career: 1990–2003
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: John Randle

1916

Sam Curran

77.5

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2015–active
Country: 🇬🇧 England

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Sam Curran

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
1854	Mykolas Alekna	Athletics	🇱🇹 Lithuania	2021–active	77.7
1856	Harry Aikines-Aryeetey	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2005–2021	77.7
1857	Adam Voges	Cricket	🇦🇺 Australia	2002–2017	77.7
1858	Frank Calder	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1917–1943	77.7
1859	Wilson Kipsang	Athletics	🇰🇪 Kenya	2010–2019	77.7
1861	Jim Courier	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2000	77.7
1862	Jim Otto	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1960–1974	77.7
1863	Warren Sapp	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1995–2007	77.7
1864	Tim Brown	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2004	77.7
1865	Joe Schmidt	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1953–1965	77.7
1866	Andy Robustelli	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1951–1964	77.7
1867	Basil D'Oliveira	Cricket	🇬🇧 England	1960–1980	77.7
1868	King Clancy	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1921–1937	77.7
1869	David Luiz Moreira Marinho	Football	🇧🇷 Brazil	2006–active	77.7
1870	Lamine Yamal	Football	🇪🇸 Spain	2023–active	77.7
1872	Stefan Edberg	Tennis	🇸🇪 Sweden	1983–1996	77.6
1873	Shawn Porter	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	2008–2021	77.6
1875	Robin Yount	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1974–1993	77.6
1876	Andrei Arshavin	Football	🇷🇺 Russia	2000–2018	77.6
1879	Mamo Wolde	Athletics	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	1956–1972	77.6
1880	Fidel LaBarba	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1924–1933	77.6
1881	Dickie Moore	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1951–1968	77.6
1883	Willie Roaf	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1993–2005	77.6
1884	Tim Bresnan	Cricket	🇬🇧 England	2001–2021	77.6
1885	Bill Cook	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1926–1937	77.6
1886	Sidney Wood	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1927–1945	77.6
1887	Yvon Petra	Tennis	🇫🇷 France	1937–1951	77.6
1888	Walter Brearley	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1902–1921	77.6
1890	Bruno Pezzey	Football	🇦🇹 Austria	1974–1990	77.6
1891	Serge Gnabry	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	2013–active	77.6
1892	Yassine Bounou	Football	🇲🇦 Morocco	2011–active	77.6
1893	Gary Abraham	Swimming	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1976–1984	77.6
1895	Lawrence Taylor	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1993	77.5
1896	Phil Esposito	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1963–1981	77.5
1897	Kane Williamson	Cricket	🇳🇿 New Zealand	2010–active	77.5
1899	Rasheed Wallace	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1995–2013	77.5
1900	Marcus Allen	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1982–1997	77.5
1901	Night Train Lane	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1952–1965	77.5
1903	Kell Brook	Boxing	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2004–2022	77.5
1905	Jim Palmer	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1965–1984	77.5
1907	Daniel Wiffen	Swimming	🇮🇪 Ireland	2019–active	77.5
1908	James Guy	Swimming	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2014–active	77.5
1909	Alexander Dale Oen	Swimming	🇳🇴 Norway	2003–2012	77.5
1910	Eddie Collins	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1906–1930	77.5
1911	Jonathan Ogden	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1996–2007	77.5
1912	Eric Dickerson	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1983–1993	77.5
1913	Bobby Layne	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1948–1962	77.5
1914	Carl Eller	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1964–1979	77.5
1915	John Randle	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2003	77.5
1916	Sam Curran	Cricket	🇬🇧 England	2015–active	77.5

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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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