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
Baseball
Career
1936–1951
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
88.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
92.0
Longevity
80.0
Athlete: Joe DiMaggio
Sport
Baseball
Career
1953–1974
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
92.0
Athlete: Al Kaline
Sport
Swimming
Career
1977–1984
Country
🇸🇪 Sweden
Peak
90.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
82.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
62.0
Athlete: Bengt Baron
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1985–2004
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
78.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Adam Oates
Sport
American Football
Career
1998–2011
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Hines Ward
Sport
Baseball
Career
1993–2010
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
96.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
86.0
Athlete: Billy Wagner
Sport
Tennis
Career
1878–1890
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
92.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
74.0
Athlete: John Hartley
Sport
Swimming
Career
2004–2012
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
86.0
Dominance
76.0
Statistics
80.0
Honours
78.0
Longevity
72.0
Athlete: Katie Hoff
Sport
American Football
Career
1978–1985
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
96.0
Dominance
90.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
66.0
Athlete: Earl Campbell
Sport
American Football
Career
1978–1990
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
80.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Ozzie Newsome
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1972–1984
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Bill Barber
Sport
American Football
Career
1963–1972
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: John Mackey
Sport
American Football
Career
1950–1959
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
90.0
Longevity
80.0
Athlete: Lou Creekmur
Sport
American Football
Career
1958–1968
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
92.0
Longevity
78.0
Athlete: Jerry Kramer
Sport
American Football
Career
1963–1974
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
92.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Dave Robinson
Sport
American Football
Career
1988–2001
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Eric Allen
Sport
American Football
Career
1953–1965
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Rosey Brown
Sport
Ice Hockey
Career
1901–1917
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
86.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Paddy Moran
Sport
Football
Career
2015–active
Country
🇪🇸 Spain
Peak
82.0
Dominance
75.0
Statistics
74.0
Honours
78.0
Longevity
70.0
Athlete: Dani Olmo
Sport
American Football
Career
1983–1998
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
88.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: John Elway
Sport
American Football
Career
1969–1981
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
88.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Joe Greene

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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