GOAT Rank · 5087

Greatest athletes of all time

This ranking is led by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Phelps. GOAT Rank currently ranks 5087 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.

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#AthleteGOAT Score

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

559

Alba Redondo

84.3

Sport: Football
Career: 2013–active
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

Peak: 89.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Alba Redondo

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

563

Dawn Fraser

84.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1955–1964
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

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

Athlete: Dawn Fraser

564

Krisztina Egerszegi

84.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1988–1996
Country: 🇭🇺 Hungary

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

Athlete: Krisztina Egerszegi

565

Helen Wills Moody

84.2

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1919–1938
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Helen Wills Moody

566

Kristin Otto

84.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1982–1989
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Kristin Otto

567

Marta Torrejón

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 2005–active
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

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

Athlete: Marta Torrejón

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

569

Sophie Devine

84.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2006–active
Country: 🇳🇿 New Zealand

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

Athlete: Sophie Devine

570

Sarah Taylor

84.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 2006–2019
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

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

Athlete: Sarah Taylor

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

575

Willie Banks

84.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1978–1996
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Willie Banks

576

Georges Carpentier

84.2

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1908–1926
Country: 🇫🇷 France

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

Athlete: Georges Carpentier

577

Baby Arizmendi

84.2

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1927–1942
Country: 🇲🇽 Mexico

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

Athlete: Baby Arizmendi

578

Élodie Thomis

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 2004–2017
Country: 🇫🇷 France

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

Athlete: Élodie Thomis

579

Shannon MacMillan

84.2

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

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

Athlete: Shannon MacMillan

580

Lena Videkull

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 1985–1996
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 89.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Lena Videkull

581

Mario Corso

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 1958–1975
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Mario Corso

582

Robin van Persie

84.2

Sport: Football
Career: 2002–2019
Country: 🇳🇱 Netherlands

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 75.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Robin van Persie

583

Faith Kipyegon

84.1

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

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Faith Kipyegon

584

Tamika Catchings

84.1

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2001–2016
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Tamika Catchings

585

Evander Holyfield

84.1

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1984–2011
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Evander Holyfield

586

Oleksandr Usyk

84.1

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2013–active
Country: 🇺🇦 Ukraine

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

Athlete: Oleksandr Usyk

587

Malcolm Marshall

84.1

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1977–1996
Country: 🇧🇧 Barbados

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

Athlete: Malcolm Marshall

588

Thiago Silva

84.1

Sport: Football
Career: 2004–active
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Thiago Silva

589

Jennifer Hermoso

84.1

Sport: Football
Career: 2008–active
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

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

Athlete: Jennifer Hermoso

590

Arvydas Sabonis

84.1

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1981–2005
Country: 🇱🇹 Lithuania

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Arvydas Sabonis

591

Merlene Ottey

84.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 1978–2012
Country: 🇯🇲 Jamaica

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 96.0

Athlete: Merlene Ottey

592

Kieren Perkins

84.1

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1990–2000
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Kieren Perkins

593

K.C. Jones

84.1

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1958–1988
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: K.C. Jones

594

Naoko Fujioka

84.1

Sport: Boxing
Career: 2009–active
Country: 🇯🇵 Japan

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

Athlete: Naoko Fujioka

595

Ryan Murphy

84.1

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

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

Athlete: Ryan Murphy

596

Mary T. Meagher

84.1

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1979–1988
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Mary T. Meagher

597

Daniele De Rossi

84.1

Sport: Football
Career: 2001–2019
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

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

Athlete: Daniele De Rossi

598

Cocoa Kid

84.1

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1929–1948
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Cocoa Kid

599

Malin Andersson

84.1

Sport: Football
Career: 1990–2007
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

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

Athlete: Malin Andersson

600

Sofia Jakobsson

84.1

Sport: Football
Career: 2007–active
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

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

Athlete: Sofia Jakobsson

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
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
559	Alba Redondo	Football	🇪🇸 Spain	2013–active	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
563	Dawn Fraser	Swimming	🇦🇺 Australia	1955–1964	84.2
564	Krisztina Egerszegi	Swimming	🇭🇺 Hungary	1988–1996	84.2
565	Helen Wills Moody	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1919–1938	84.2
566	Kristin Otto	Swimming	🇩🇪 Germany	1982–1989	84.2
567	Marta Torrejón	Football	🇪🇸 Spain	2005–active	84.2
568	Chris Gayle	Cricket	🇯🇲 Jamaica	1998–2021	84.2
569	Sophie Devine	Cricket	🇳🇿 New Zealand	2006–active	84.2
570	Sarah Taylor	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	2006–2019	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
575	Willie Banks	Athletics	🇺🇸 United States	1978–1996	84.2
576	Georges Carpentier	Boxing	🇫🇷 France	1908–1926	84.2
577	Baby Arizmendi	Boxing	🇲🇽 Mexico	1927–1942	84.2
578	Élodie Thomis	Football	🇫🇷 France	2004–2017	84.2
579	Shannon MacMillan	Football	🇺🇸 United States	1993–2005	84.2
580	Lena Videkull	Football	🇸🇪 Sweden	1985–1996	84.2
581	Mario Corso	Football	🇮🇹 Italy	1958–1975	84.2
582	Robin van Persie	Football	🇳🇱 Netherlands	2002–2019	84.2
583	Faith Kipyegon	Athletics	🇰🇪 Kenya	2010–active	84.1
584	Tamika Catchings	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2001–2016	84.1
585	Evander Holyfield	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1984–2011	84.1
586	Oleksandr Usyk	Boxing	🇺🇦 Ukraine	2013–active	84.1
587	Malcolm Marshall	Cricket	🇧🇧 Barbados	1977–1996	84.1
588	Thiago Silva	Football	🇧🇷 Brazil	2004–active	84.1
589	Jennifer Hermoso	Football	🇪🇸 Spain	2008–active	84.1
590	Arvydas Sabonis	Basketball	🇱🇹 Lithuania	1981–2005	84.1
591	Merlene Ottey	Athletics	🇯🇲 Jamaica	1978–2012	84.1
592	Kieren Perkins	Swimming	🇦🇺 Australia	1990–2000	84.1
593	K.C. Jones	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	1958–1988	84.1
594	Naoko Fujioka	Boxing	🇯🇵 Japan	2009–active	84.1
595	Ryan Murphy	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	2013–active	84.1
596	Mary T. Meagher	Swimming	🇺🇸 United States	1979–1988	84.1
597	Daniele De Rossi	Football	🇮🇹 Italy	2001–2019	84.1
598	Cocoa Kid	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1929–1948	84.1
599	Malin Andersson	Football	🇸🇪 Sweden	1990–2007	84.1
600	Sofia Jakobsson	Football	🇸🇪 Sweden	2007–active	84.1

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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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