- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2001–2012
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
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
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1992–2005
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Volleyball
- Career
- 1995–2016
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Basketball
- Career
- 1954–1980
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 80.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 72.0
- Honours
- 70.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Basketball
- Career
- 1925–1942
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 74.0
- Honours
- 70.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1936–1952
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1955–1978
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1917–1929
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1930–1943
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1983–1998
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1981–1991
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1954–1966
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1950–1961
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1975–1985
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Cricket
- Career
- 1993–2015
- Country
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 72.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1921–1937
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2017–active
- Country
- 🇬🇪 Georgia
- Peak
- 82.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 75.0
- Honours
- 70.0
- Longevity
- 70.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1977–1987
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2011–2022
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1998–2018
- Country
- 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1968–1985
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1971–1986
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1899–1925
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Basketball
- Career
- 1950–1958
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1981–1991
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1977–1995
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Basketball
- Career
- 2019–active
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 70.0
- Longevity
- 62.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1963–1979
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1986–1999
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1956
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1967–1977
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1940–1950
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1993–2010
- Country
- 🇭🇷 Croatia
- Peak
- 75.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 68.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Volleyball
- Career
- 1995–2013
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 2000–2019
- Country
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1952–1964
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1914–1932
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1990–2001
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1980–1997
- Country
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2011–2017
- Country
- 🇰🇪 Kenya
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1982–1999
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1982–1997
- Country
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1974–1984
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1986–1997
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Tennis
- Career
- 1890–1896
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 68.0
- Sport
- Athletics
- Career
- 2010–2021
- Country
- 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 70.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2010–2020
- Country
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Peak
- 82.0
- Dominance
- 75.0
- Statistics
- 75.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 65.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1913–1923
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1967–1983
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Baseball
- Career
- 1990–2008
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2490 | Richard Seymour | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2001–2012 | 75.2 |
| 2491 | Jimmy Smith | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1992–2005 | 75.2 |
| 2492 | Ricardo Santos | Volleyball | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1995–2016 | 75.2 |
| 2493 | Meadowlark Lemon | Basketball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1954–1980 | 75.2 |
| 2495 | Joseph Brennan | Basketball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1925–1942 | 75.2 |
| 2496 | Turk Broda | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1936–1952 | 75.2 |
| 2497 | Johnny Bucyk | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1955–1978 | 75.2 |
| 2498 | Cy Denneny | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1917–1929 | 75.2 |
| 2499 | Bronko Nagurski | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1930–1943 | 75.2 |
| 2500 | Pat LaFontaine | Ice Hockey | 🇺🇸 United States | 1983–1998 | 75.2 |
| 2501 | Russ Grimm | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1991 | 75.2 |
| 2502 | Stan Jones | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1954–1966 | 75.2 |
| 2503 | Art Donovan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1950–1961 | 75.2 |
| 2504 | Fred Dean | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1975–1985 | 75.2 |
| 2505 | Dale Benkenstein | Cricket | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 1993–2015 | 75.2 |
| 2506 | Harry Oliver | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1921–1937 | 75.2 |
| 2509 | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Football | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 2017–active | 75.2 |
| 2510 | Mike Bossy | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1977–1987 | 75.1 |
| 2512 | J.J. Watt | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2011–2022 | 75.1 |
| 2514 | Adrián Beltré | Baseball | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 1998–2018 | 75.1 |
| 2518 | Rollie Fingers | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1985 | 75.1 |
| 2519 | Vitas Gerulaitis | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1971–1986 | 75.1 |
| 2520 | Pete Hill | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1899–1925 | 75.1 |
| 2522 | Bob Houbregs | Basketball | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1950–1958 | 75.1 |
| 2523 | Joakim Nyström | Tennis | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1981–1991 | 75.1 |
| 2524 | Lou Whitaker | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1977–1995 | 75.1 |
| 2525 | Zion Williamson | Basketball | 🇺🇸 United States | 2019–active | 75.1 |
| 2526 | Tony Roche | Tennis | 🇦🇺 Australia | 1963–1979 | 75.1 |
| 2527 | Charles Haley | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1986–1999 | 75.1 |
| 2528 | Tom Fears | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1956 | 75.1 |
| 2529 | Lem Barney | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1977 | 75.1 |
| 2530 | George McAfee | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1950 | 75.1 |
| 2531 | Dario Šimić | Football | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 1993–2010 | 75.1 |
| 2533 | Giba | Volleyball | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1995–2013 | 75.0 |
| 2536 | David Ferrer | Tennis | 🇪🇸 Spain | 2000–2019 | 75.0 |
| 2539 | Frank Gifford | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1952–1964 | 75.0 |
| 2540 | Harry Heilmann | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1914–1932 | 75.0 |
| 2542 | LeRoy Butler | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2001 | 75.0 |
| 2543 | Fernando Valenzuela | Baseball | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 1980–1997 | 75.0 |
| 2544 | Dennis Kimetto | Athletics | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 2011–2017 | 75.0 |
| 2545 | Wade Boggs | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1982–1999 | 75.0 |
| 2546 | Pat Cash | Tennis | 🇦🇺 Australia | 1982–1997 | 75.0 |
| 2547 | Dave Casper | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1974–1984 | 75.0 |
| 2548 | Sam Mills | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1986–1997 | 75.0 |
| 2549 | Frederick Hovey | Tennis | 🇺🇸 United States | 1890–1896 | 75.0 |
| 2550 | Antoine Adams | Athletics | 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2010–2021 | 75.0 |
| 2551 | André Schürrle | Football | 🇩🇪 Germany | 2010–2020 | 75.0 |
| 2552 | Eddie Gerard | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1913–1923 | 75.0 |
| 2553 | Johnny Bench | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1983 | 74.9 |
| 2555 | Frank Thomas | Baseball | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2008 | 74.9 |
Compare the leaders
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano RonaldoRead 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 methodologyFrequently 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 timeGreatest female of all timeGreatest active AthletesGreatest retired AthletesGreatest Boxers of all timeGreatest Swimmers of all timeGreatest Football Players of all timeGreatest Tennis Players of all timeGreatest Golfers of all timeGreatest Formula 1 Drivers of all timeGreatest Esports Players of all timeGreatest Basketball Players of all time