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

495

Nathan Adrian

84.7

Sport: Swimming
Career: 2007–2021
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Nathan Adrian

496

Roger Hunt

84.7

Sport: Football
Career: 1958–1972
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

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

Athlete: Roger Hunt

498

Josef Masopust

84.7

Sport: Football
Career: 1950–1974
Country: 🇨🇿 Czechia

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

Athlete: Josef Masopust

499

Bob Foster

84.7

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1961–1978
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Bob Foster

500

Chauncey Billups

84.7

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1997–2014
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Chauncey Billups

502

Antonio Rattín

84.7

Sport: Football
Career: 1956–1970
Country: 🇦🇷 Argentina

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 85.0
Statistics: 75.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 85.0

Athlete: Antonio Rattín

503

Pete Sampras

84.6

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1988–2002
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 93.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 86.0

Athlete: Pete Sampras

505

Cafu

84.6

Sport: Football
Career: 1989–2008
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Cafu

506

Miroslav Klose

84.6

Sport: Football
Career: 1999–2016
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

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

Athlete: Miroslav Klose

507

Sandro Mazzola

84.6

Sport: Football
Career: 1960–1977
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

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

Athlete: Sandro Mazzola

508

Younis Khan

84.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2000–2017
Country: 🇵🇰 Pakistan

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

Athlete: Younis Khan

515

René Houseman

84.6

Sport: Football
Career: 1971–1985
Country: 🇦🇷 Argentina

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 85.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 75.0

Athlete: René Houseman

516

Alessandro Del Piero

84.5

Sport: Football
Career: 1991–2014
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

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

Athlete: Alessandro Del Piero

517

Björn Borg

84.5

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1972–1983
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 95.0
Dominance: 93.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Björn Borg

518

Nikola Jokić

84.5

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2015–active
Country: 🇷🇸 Serbia

Peak: 93.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 93.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Nikola Jokić

519

Daley Thompson

84.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1976–1992
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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

Athlete: Daley Thompson

520

Carlos Monzón

84.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1963–1977
Country: 🇦🇷 Argentina

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

Athlete: Carlos Monzón

521

Vladimir Salnikov

84.5

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1976–1988
Country: 🇷🇺 Russia

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Vladimir Salnikov

522

Dan Issel

84.5

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1970–1985
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Dan Issel

524

Andreas Thorkildsen

84.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2001–2016
Country: 🇳🇴 Norway

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

Athlete: Andreas Thorkildsen

525

Alastair Cook

84.5

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2006–2018
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Alastair Cook

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

527

Saïd Aouita

84.5

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1983–1993
Country: 🇲🇦 Morocco

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 92.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Saïd Aouita

528

Young Corbett III

84.5

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1919–1940
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Young Corbett III

530

Frank Lampard

84.4

Sport: Football
Career: 1995–2017
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 United Kingdom

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

Athlete: Frank Lampard

531

Neymar Jr

84.4

Sport: Football
Career: 2009–active
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

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

Athlete: Neymar Jr

532

Philipp Lahm

84.4

Sport: Football
Career: 2002–2017
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

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

Athlete: Philipp Lahm

536

Waqar Younis

84.4

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1989–2003
Country: 🇵🇰 Pakistan

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Waqar Younis

538

Alonzo Mourning

84.4

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

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Alonzo Mourning

540

James J. Jeffries

84.4

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1896–1910
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: James J. Jeffries

541

Jimmy Barry

84.4

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1891–1899
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Jimmy Barry

545

Thomas Ravelli

84.4

Sport: Football
Career: 1976–1999
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 75.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 85.0
Longevity: 95.0

Athlete: Thomas Ravelli

546

Kylian Mbappé

84.3

Sport: Football
Career: 2015–active
Country: 🇫🇷 France

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 85.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Kylian Mbappé

548

Uwe Seeler

84.3

Sport: Football
Career: 1953–1972
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

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

Athlete: Uwe Seeler

551

James Toney

84.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1988–2017
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: James Toney

552

Carlos Tévez

84.3

Sport: Football
Career: 2001–2022
Country: 🇦🇷 Argentina

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

Athlete: Carlos Tévez

553

George Best

84.3

Sport: Football
Career: 1963–1984
Country: 🇬🇧 Northern Ireland

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: George Best

554

Joe Brown

84.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1943–1970
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Joe Brown

555

Gabriel Elorde

84.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1951–1971
Country: 🇵🇭 Philippines

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Gabriel Elorde

556

Miguel Cotto

84.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2001–2017
Country: 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Miguel Cotto

557

Humberto González

84.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1984–1995
Country: 🇲🇽 Mexico

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

Athlete: Humberto González

558

Chang Jung-koo

84.3

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1980–1991
Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea

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

Athlete: Chang Jung-koo

560

Ruud Gullit

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 1979–1998
Country: 🇳🇱 Netherlands

Peak: 89.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Ruud Gullit

561

Giannis Antetokounmpo

84.2

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2013–active
Country: 🇬🇷 Greece

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 87.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 85.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Giannis Antetokounmpo

562

Jacques Kallis

84.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1995–2014
Country: 🇿🇦 South Africa

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 94.0

Athlete: Jacques Kallis

568

Chris Gayle

84.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1998–2021
Country: 🇯🇲 Jamaica

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

Athlete: Chris Gayle

571

Jim Laker

84.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1946–1965
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 100.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 96.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Jim Laker

572

Emlyn Hughes

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 1964–1984
Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

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

Athlete: Emlyn Hughes

573

Deco

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 1997–2013
Country: 🇵🇹 Portugal

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

Athlete: Deco

574

Duke Kahanamoku

84.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1911–1932
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Duke Kahanamoku

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
495	Nathan Adrian	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2007–2021	84.7
496	Roger Hunt	Football	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1958–1972	84.7
498	Josef Masopust	Football	🇨🇿 Czechia	1950–1974	84.7
499	Bob Foster	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1961–1978	84.7
500	Chauncey Billups	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1997–2014	84.7
502	Antonio Rattín	Football	🇦🇷 Argentina	1956–1970	84.7
503	Pete Sampras	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2002	84.6
505	Cafu	Football	🇧🇷 Brazil	1989–2008	84.6
506	Miroslav Klose	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	1999–2016	84.6
507	Sandro Mazzola	Football	🇮🇹 Italy	1960–1977	84.6
508	Younis Khan	Cricket	🇵🇰 Pakistan	2000–2017	84.6
515	René Houseman	Football	🇦🇷 Argentina	1971–1985	84.6
516	Alessandro Del Piero	Football	🇮🇹 Italy	1991–2014	84.5
517	Björn Borg	Tennis	🇸🇪 Sweden	1972–1983	84.5
518	Nikola Jokić	Basketball	🇷🇸 Serbia	2015–active	84.5
519	Daley Thompson	Athletics	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1976–1992	84.5
520	Carlos Monzón	Boxing	🇦🇷 Argentina	1963–1977	84.5
521	Vladimir Salnikov	Swimming	🇷🇺 Russia	1976–1988	84.5
522	Dan Issel	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1970–1985	84.5
524	Andreas Thorkildsen	Athletics	🇳🇴 Norway	2001–2016	84.5
525	Alastair Cook	Cricket	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	2006–2018	84.5
526	Don Budge	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1932–1954	84.5
527	Saïd Aouita	Athletics	🇲🇦 Morocco	1983–1993	84.5
528	Young Corbett III	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1919–1940	84.5
530	Frank Lampard	Football	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 United Kingdom	1995–2017	84.4
531	Neymar Jr	Football	🇧🇷 Brazil	2009–active	84.4
532	Philipp Lahm	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	2002–2017	84.4
536	Waqar Younis	Cricket	🇵🇰 Pakistan	1989–2003	84.4
538	Alonzo Mourning	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1992–2008	84.4
540	James J. Jeffries	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1896–1910	84.4
541	Jimmy Barry	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1891–1899	84.4
545	Thomas Ravelli	Football	🇸🇪 Sweden	1976–1999	84.4
546	Kylian Mbappé	Football	🇫🇷 France	2015–active	84.3
548	Uwe Seeler	Football	🇩🇪 Germany	1953–1972	84.3
551	James Toney	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1988–2017	84.3
552	Carlos Tévez	Football	🇦🇷 Argentina	2001–2022	84.3
553	George Best	Football	🇬🇧 Northern Ireland	1963–1984	84.3
554	Joe Brown	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1943–1970	84.3
555	Gabriel Elorde	Boxing	🇵🇭 Philippines	1951–1971	84.3
556	Miguel Cotto	Boxing	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	2001–2017	84.3
557	Humberto González	Boxing	🇲🇽 Mexico	1984–1995	84.3
558	Chang Jung-koo	Boxing	🇰🇷 South Korea	1980–1991	84.3
560	Ruud Gullit	Football	🇳🇱 Netherlands	1979–1998	84.2
561	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Basketball	🇬🇷 Greece	2013–active	84.2
562	Jacques Kallis	Cricket	🇿🇦 South Africa	1995–2014	84.2
568	Chris Gayle	Cricket	🇯🇲 Jamaica	1998–2021	84.2
571	Jim Laker	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1946–1965	84.2
572	Emlyn Hughes	Football	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1964–1984	84.2
573	Deco	Football	🇵🇹 Portugal	1997–2013	84.2
574	Duke Kahanamoku	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1911–1932	84.2

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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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