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
American Football
Career
1990–2004
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
88.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Emmitt Smith
Sport
Baseball
Career
1928–1946
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
92.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Bill Dickey
Sport
Athletics
Career
1980–1990
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
90.0
Dominance
72.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
78.0
Longevity
76.0
Athlete: Todd Bennett
Sport
American Football
Career
2005–2020
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
88.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
96.0
Athlete: Frank Gore
Sport
American Football
Career
1946–1957
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
80.0
Athlete: Elroy Hirsch
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1936–1948
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
93.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: Syl Apps
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1934–1947
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
93.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: Bill Cowley
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1980–2001
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Paul Coffey
Sport
American Football
Career
1967–1980
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Ken Houston
Sport
American Football
Career
1995–2009
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Ty Law
Sport
American Football
Career
2010–2021
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: Antonio Brown
Sport
Baseball
Career
1986–2004
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Barry Larkin
Sport
Tennis
Career
1895–1930
Country
🇦🇺 Australia
Peak
88.0
Dominance
72.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
74.0
Longevity
94.0
Athlete: Horace Rice
Sport
Tennis
Career
1950–1963
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
80.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
70.0
Athlete: Tony Trabert
Sport
American Football
Career
1973–1987
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Dan Fouts
Sport
American Football
Career
1989–2005
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Deion Sanders

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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