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

2501

Russ Grimm

75.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1981–1991
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Russ Grimm

2502

Stan Jones

75.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1954–1966
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Stan Jones

2503

Art Donovan

75.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1950–1961
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Art Donovan

2504

Fred Dean

75.2

Sport: American Football
Career: 1975–1985
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Fred Dean

2505

Dale Benkenstein

75.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1993–2015
Country: 🇿🇦 South Africa

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 72.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Dale Benkenstein

2506

Harry Oliver

75.2

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1921–1937
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

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

Athlete: Harry Oliver

2507

Gail Amundrud

75.2

Sport: Swimming
Career: 1974–1980
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Gail Amundrud

2508

Margaret Adeoye

75.2

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2010–2018
Country: 🇬🇧 Great Britain

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Margaret Adeoye

2509

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

75.2

Sport: Football
Career: 2017–active
Country: 🇬🇪 Georgia

Peak: 82.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 75.0
Honours: 70.0
Longevity: 70.0

Athlete: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

2510

Mike Bossy

75.1

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 1977–1987
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 92.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Mike Bossy

2511

Kim Clijsters

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1997–2020
Country: 🇧🇪 Belgium

Peak: 87.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Kim Clijsters

2512

J.J. Watt

75.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 2011–2022
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: J.J. Watt

2513

Francesca Schiavone

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1998–2018
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: Francesca Schiavone

2514

Adrián Beltré

75.1

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1998–2018
Country: 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 94.0

Athlete: Adrián Beltré

2515

Jelena Janković

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 2000–2017
Country: 🇷🇸 Serbia

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Jelena Janković

2516

Elena Dementieva

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1998–2010
Country: 🇷🇺 Russia

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Elena Dementieva

2517

Julie Chu

75.1

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 2000–2018
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Julie Chu

2518

Rollie Fingers

75.1

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1968–1985
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Rollie Fingers

2519

Vitas Gerulaitis

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1971–1986
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 74.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Vitas Gerulaitis

2520

Pete Hill

75.1

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1899–1925
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Pete Hill

2521

Britany Anderson

75.1

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2018–active
Country: 🇯🇲 Jamaica

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 74.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 68.0

Athlete: Britany Anderson

2522

Bob Houbregs

75.1

Sport: Basketball
Career: 1950–1958
Country: 🇨🇦 Canada

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Bob Houbregs

2523

Joakim Nyström

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1981–1991
Country: 🇸🇪 Sweden

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Joakim Nyström

2524

Lou Whitaker

75.1

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1977–1995
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 92.0

Athlete: Lou Whitaker

2525

Zion Williamson

75.1

Sport: Basketball
Career: 2019–active
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 70.0
Longevity: 62.0

Athlete: Zion Williamson

2526

Tony Roche

75.1

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1963–1979
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Tony Roche

2527

Charles Haley

75.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1986–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 94.0
Longevity: 78.0

Athlete: Charles Haley

2528

Tom Fears

75.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1948–1956
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Tom Fears

2529

Lem Barney

75.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1967–1977
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Lem Barney

2530

George McAfee

75.1

Sport: American Football
Career: 1940–1950
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: George McAfee

2531

Dario Šimić

75.1

Sport: Football
Career: 1993–2010
Country: 🇭🇷 Croatia

Peak: 75.0
Dominance: 70.0
Statistics: 68.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Dario Šimić

2532

Fabiana Oliveira

75.1

Sport: Volleyball
Career: 2000–2016
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

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

Athlete: Fabiana Oliveira

2533

Giba

75.0

Sport: Volleyball
Career: 1995–2013
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

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

Athlete: Giba

2534

Femke Bol

75.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2018–active
Country: 🇳🇱 Netherlands

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 60.0

Athlete: Femke Bol

2535

Jennifer Capriati

75.0

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1990–2004
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: Jennifer Capriati

2536

David Ferrer

75.0

Sport: Tennis
Career: 2000–2019
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 72.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 90.0

Athlete: David Ferrer

2537

Garbiñe Muguruza

75.0

Sport: Tennis
Career: 2012–2023
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 78.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 72.0

Athlete: Garbiñe Muguruza

2538

Mireya Luis

75.0

Sport: Volleyball
Career: 1984–2000
Country: 🇨🇺 Cuba

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 92.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Mireya Luis

2539

Frank Gifford

75.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1952–1964
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Frank Gifford

2540

Harry Heilmann

75.0

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1914–1932
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Harry Heilmann

2541

Michelle Karvinen

75.0

Sport: Ice Hockey
Career: 2008–active
Country: 🇫🇮 Finland

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Michelle Karvinen

2542

LeRoy Butler

75.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1990–2001
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: LeRoy Butler

2543

Fernando Valenzuela

75.0

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1980–1997
Country: 🇲🇽 Mexico

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 82.0
Statistics: 90.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Fernando Valenzuela

2544

Dennis Kimetto

75.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2011–2017
Country: 🇰🇪 Kenya

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Dennis Kimetto

2545

Wade Boggs

75.0

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1982–1999
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Wade Boggs

2546

Pat Cash

75.0

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1982–1997
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 76.0

Athlete: Pat Cash

2547

Dave Casper

75.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1974–1984
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Dave Casper

2548

Sam Mills

75.0

Sport: American Football
Career: 1986–1997
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

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

Athlete: Sam Mills

2549

Frederick Hovey

75.0

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1890–1896
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 80.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 82.0
Longevity: 68.0

Athlete: Frederick Hovey

2550

Antoine Adams

75.0

Sport: Athletics
Career: 2010–2021
Country: 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis

Peak: 84.0
Dominance: 70.0
Statistics: 84.0
Honours: 74.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Antoine Adams

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
2501	Russ Grimm	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1981–1991	75.2
2502	Stan Jones	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1954–1966	75.2
2503	Art Donovan	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1950–1961	75.2
2504	Fred Dean	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1975–1985	75.2
2505	Dale Benkenstein	Cricket	🇿🇦 South Africa	1993–2015	75.2
2506	Harry Oliver	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1921–1937	75.2
2507	Gail Amundrud	Swimming	🇨🇦 Canada	1974–1980	75.2
2508	Margaret Adeoye	Athletics	🇬🇧 Great Britain	2010–2018	75.2
2509	Khvicha Kvaratskhelia	Football	🇬🇪 Georgia	2017–active	75.2
2510	Mike Bossy	Ice Hockey	🇨🇦 Canada	1977–1987	75.1
2511	Kim Clijsters	Tennis	🇧🇪 Belgium	1997–2020	75.1
2512	J.J. Watt	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	2011–2022	75.1
2513	Francesca Schiavone	Tennis	🇮🇹 Italy	1998–2018	75.1
2514	Adrián Beltré	Baseball	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	1998–2018	75.1
2515	Jelena Janković	Tennis	🇷🇸 Serbia	2000–2017	75.1
2516	Elena Dementieva	Tennis	🇷🇺 Russia	1998–2010	75.1
2517	Julie Chu	Ice Hockey	🇺🇸 United States	2000–2018	75.1
2518	Rollie Fingers	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1968–1985	75.1
2519	Vitas Gerulaitis	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1971–1986	75.1
2520	Pete Hill	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1899–1925	75.1
2521	Britany Anderson	Athletics	🇯🇲 Jamaica	2018–active	75.1
2522	Bob Houbregs	Basketball	🇨🇦 Canada	1950–1958	75.1
2523	Joakim Nyström	Tennis	🇸🇪 Sweden	1981–1991	75.1
2524	Lou Whitaker	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1977–1995	75.1
2525	Zion Williamson	Basketball	🇺🇸 United States	2019–active	75.1
2526	Tony Roche	Tennis	🇦🇺 Australia	1963–1979	75.1
2527	Charles Haley	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1999	75.1
2528	Tom Fears	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1948–1956	75.1
2529	Lem Barney	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1967–1977	75.1
2530	George McAfee	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1940–1950	75.1
2531	Dario Šimić	Football	🇭🇷 Croatia	1993–2010	75.1
2532	Fabiana Oliveira	Volleyball	🇧🇷 Brazil	2000–2016	75.1
2533	Giba	Volleyball	🇧🇷 Brazil	1995–2013	75.0
2534	Femke Bol	Athletics	🇳🇱 Netherlands	2018–active	75.0
2535	Jennifer Capriati	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2004	75.0
2536	David Ferrer	Tennis	🇪🇸 Spain	2000–2019	75.0
2537	Garbiñe Muguruza	Tennis	🇪🇸 Spain	2012–2023	75.0
2538	Mireya Luis	Volleyball	🇨🇺 Cuba	1984–2000	75.0
2539	Frank Gifford	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1952–1964	75.0
2540	Harry Heilmann	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1914–1932	75.0
2541	Michelle Karvinen	Ice Hockey	🇫🇮 Finland	2008–active	75.0
2542	LeRoy Butler	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1990–2001	75.0
2543	Fernando Valenzuela	Baseball	🇲🇽 Mexico	1980–1997	75.0
2544	Dennis Kimetto	Athletics	🇰🇪 Kenya	2011–2017	75.0
2545	Wade Boggs	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1982–1999	75.0
2546	Pat Cash	Tennis	🇦🇺 Australia	1982–1997	75.0
2547	Dave Casper	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1974–1984	75.0
2548	Sam Mills	American Football	🇺🇸 United States	1986–1997	75.0
2549	Frederick Hovey	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1890–1896	75.0
2550	Antoine Adams	Athletics	🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis	2010–2021	75.0

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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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