GGOATRANK

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.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →
#AthleteGOAT Score
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1978–1993
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Rod Langway
Sport
American Football
Career
1970–1981
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Jim Langer
Sport
American Football
Career
1959–1972
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Dick LeBeau
Sport
Baseball
Career
1923–1939
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
93.0
Dominance
91.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Lou Gehrig
Sport
Baseball
Career
1936–1956
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
90.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Bob Feller
Sport
American Football
Career
1994–2009
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Isaac Bruce
Sport
American Football
Career
1973–1986
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Ray Guy
Sport
Basketball
Career
1995–2017
Country
🇨🇳 China
Peak
82.0
Dominance
72.0
Statistics
78.0
Honours
76.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Wang Zhizhi
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1944–1965
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Ted Lindsay
Sport
American Football
Career
1956–1967
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Lenny Moore
Sport
American Football
Career
1967–1980
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
92.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Bob Griese
Sport
American Football
Career
1976–1989
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Mike Haynes
Sport
American Football
Career
1930–1945
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
92.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Arnie Herber
Sport
Athletics
Career
1993–2004
Country
🇫🇷 France
Peak
85.0
Dominance
74.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Katia Benth
Sport
Baseball
Career
1897–1917
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
90.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Honus Wagner
Sport
American Football
Career
1963–1974
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Bobby Bell
Sport
Baseball
Career
1991–2012
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
96.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
94.0
Athlete: Jim Thome
Sport
American Football
Career
1969–1979
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
98.0
Dominance
88.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
74.0
Athlete: O.J. Simpson
Sport
Cricket
Career
1971–1985
Country
🇵🇰 Pakistan
Peak
90.0
Dominance
76.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
74.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Wasim Raja
Sport
Cricket
Career
1988–1998
Country
🇵🇰 Pakistan
Peak
92.0
Dominance
74.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
76.0
Athlete: Aaqib Javed
Sport
American Football
Career
1962–1976
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Merlin Olsen

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.

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