Football (Soccer):

1. Lionel Messi:
• FC Barcelona: Messi spent over 20 years at FC Barcelona, from youth ranks to the first team, becoming
the club's all-time top scorer and playmaker.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo:
• Manchester United: Ronaldo had significant success in his early career with Manchester United, and
after stints at Real Madrid and Juventus, he returned to the club in 2021.
• Real Madrid: Ronaldo is also widely recognized for his time at Real Madrid where he became the club's
all-time leading goalscorer.
3. Pele:
• Santos: Pele's name is synonymous with Santos FC where he spent the majority of his professional
career.
Basketball:
1. Michael Jordan:
• Chicago Bulls: Jordan's time with the Bulls saw him becoming a six-time NBA champion and five-time
MVP.
2. LeBron James:
• Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers: James led both teams to NBA Championships, and is known for his
versatility and longevity in the sport.
3. Kobe Bryant:
• Los Angeles Lakers: Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five NBA
championships.
Baseball:
1. Babe Ruth:
• New York Yankees: Ruth became a legend during his time with the Yankees, his powerful hitting helping
to usher in a new era of baseball.
2. Barry Bonds:
• San Francisco Giants: Bonds spent 15 seasons with the Giants, breaking numerous MLB records.
Tennis:
• While not associated with clubs, tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams have had
illustrious careers, winning multiple Grand Slam titles.
American Football:
1. Tom Brady:
• New England Patriots: Brady spent 20 seasons with the Patriots, leading the team to six Super Bowl
victories.
2. Jerry Rice:
• San Francisco 49ers: Rice is often regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, and had a highly
successful stint with the 49ers.
Ice Hockey:
1. Wayne Gretzky:
• Edmonton Oilers: Gretzky's time with the Oilers was marked by four Stanley Cup victories and numerous
individual records.
Cricket:
1. Sachin Tendulkar:
• Tendulkar has numerous cricketing records to his name including the highest number of runs in both
Test and One-Day Internationals.
2. Sir Don Bradman:
• An Australian cricketer, Bradman is often cited as the greatest batsman in the history of cricket.
Rugby:
1. Jonah Lomu:
• A New Zealand rugby union player, Lomu is regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union.
2. Dan Carter:
• Also from New Zealand, Carter is often considered one of the greatest ever fly-halves in rugby union
history.
Table Tennis:
1. Ma Long:
• A Chinese table tennis player, Ma Long has held the world No. 1 ranking for a total of 64 months, the
most in the history of the ITTF.
2. Jan-Ove Waldner:
• A Swedish table tennis player often regarded as being the best table tennis player of all time.
Badminton:
1. Lin Dan:
• A professional badminton player from China, Lin Dan is often considered the greatest singles player of
all time.
2. Lee Chong Wei:
• A Malaysian badminton player, Lee Chong Wei was ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, including a
199-week streak from 2008 to 2012.
Cycling:
1. Eddy Merckx:
• A former professional road and track bicycle racer from Belgium, Merckx is widely seen as the most
successful rider in the history of competitive cycling.
2. Lance Armstrong:
• Known for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times, though later stripped of those titles due
to doping offenses.
3. Chris Hoy:
• Also listed among notable sports athletes, representing the less mainstream sport of cycling
Squash:
1. Jahangir Khan:
• A former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, Khan is considered one of the greatest
squash players in history.
2. Nicolas David:
• A Malaysian female professional squash player, she was ranked world number one for a record-breaking
108 consecutive months from 2006 to 2015.
Track and Field:
1. Usain Bolt:
• The Jamaican sprinter is an 8-time Olympic gold medalist and holds the world record for the 100m,
200m, and 4 x 100m relay.
2. Carl Lewis:
• An American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, including four at the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Gymnastics:
1. Simone Biles:
• An American gymnast with a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals.
2. Nadia Comăneci:
• A Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events.
Swimming:
1. Michael Phelps:
• An American former competitive swimmer with 23 Olympic gold medals and holds the record for the
most gold medals won at a single Olympic Games (8).
2. Ian Thorpe:
• An Australian retired swimmer who specialized in freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and
individual medley. He has five Olympic gold medals.
Volleyball:
1. Giba (Gilberto Amaury de Godoy Filho):
• A Brazilian former professional volleyball player, known for his achievements with the Brazil national
team.
2. Karch Kiraly:
• An American volleyball player, coach and broadcast announcer, Kiraly is the only person to have won
Olympic gold medals in both the indoor and beach volleyball categories.
Golf:
1. Tiger Woods:
• An American professional golfer, Woods is tied for first in PGA TOUR wins, ranks second in men's major
championships, and holds numerous golf records.
2. Jack Nicklaus:
• Nicklaus is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, winning a total of 18 career
major championships.
Skiing:
1. Lindsey Vonn:
• An American former World Cup alpine ski racer on the US Ski Team, Vonn won four World Cup overall
championships.
2. Ingemar Stenmark:
• A Swedish former alpine ski racer, Stenmark specialized in the slalom and giant slalom disciplines.
Snooker:
1. Ronnie O'Sullivan:
• An English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and high scoring ability.
2. Stephen Hendry:
• A Scottish former professional snooker player and the most successful snooker player in terms of World
Championships won.
1. Competitive Eating:
• Joey Chestnut: Known for holding the record of eating 74 hot dogs in Nathan's Coney Island Hot Dog
Eating Contest and dominating the world of competitive eating with numerous other records1.
2. Bowling:
• Walter Ray Williams Jr.: Holds the record for PBA Tour career titles with 47, total PBA earnings of over
$4.5 million through 2015, and a streak of at least one PBA Tour title win in 17 consecutive years from
1993-20101.
3. Curling:
• Kevin Martin: Known for his Olympic gold in 2010 and a world championship gold medal in 2008, with a
total of 20 wins at the Olympics, a record in curling1.
4. Pool:
• Jeanette Lee: A prominent figure in pool, known as "the Black Widow," she was the 1994 WPBA Player
of the Year and has been ranked No. 1 in the world by Billiards Digest and Pool & Billiard Magazine1.
• Efren Reyes: Often regarded as the greatest pool player of all time with over 70 international titles to his
credit1.
5. Horse Racing:
• Laffit Pincay Jr.: Noted for being the winningest jockey in horse racing history at the time of his
retirement, with career wins worth almost a quarter billion dollars1.
6. Darts:
• Phil Taylor: Known as "The Power," Taylor is often regarded as the best darts player of all time with 216
professional victories, including 85 majors and 16 world championships1.
7. Cricket (popular in some regions but less so globally, especially in the U.S.):
• Don Bradman: Widely regarded as the best batsman in the history of cricket with a remarkable career
batting average of 99.94, a statistical outlier that many argue makes him one of the greatest athletes in
any sport1.
8. Distance Running:
• Haile Gebrselassie: Known for breaking 61 Ethiopian national records, setting 27 world records, and
achieving a world record in the marathon at the Berlin Marathon in 20081.
9. Pole Vaulting:
• Serguei Bubka: Mentioned as a notable athlete in a list of great sports athletes, representing pole
vaulting, a less popular sport2.
Archery:
1. Kim Woo-jin:
• South Korean archer known for his accomplishments in World Archery Championships and the Olympics.
Fencing:
1. Valentina Vezzali:
• Italian fencer with six Olympic gold medals and numerous World Championship titles.
Martial Arts:
1. Ronda Rousey:
• Known for her judo and mixed martial arts skills, Rousey has been a champion in the UFC and had a stint
in professional wrestling with WWE.
Skateboarding:
1. Tony Hawk:
• An iconic figure in skateboarding known for his remarkable skills and business ventures within the sport.
Snowboarding:
1. Shaun White:
• Known as the "Flying Tomato," White has dominated snowboarding competitions including the X Games
and the Winter Olympics1.
Equestrian:
1. Charlotte Dujardin:
• A British dressage rider, Dujardin has won multiple Olympic gold medals and holds world records in
dressage.
Sailing:
1. Peter Burling:
• New Zealander known for his achievements in the America's Cup and Olympic sailing.
Handball:
1. Clubs:
• FC Barcelona Handbol (Spain)
• THW Kiel (Germany)
• Paris Saint-Germain Handball (France)
2. Players:
• Mikkel Hansen (Denmark, Paris Saint-Germain Handball)
• Nikola Karabatić (France, Paris Saint-Germain Handball)
• Domagoj Duvnjak (Croatia, THW Kiel)
Volleyball:
1. Clubs:
• Sada Cruzeiro (Brazil)
• Zenit Kazan (Russia)
• Lube Civitanova (Italy)
2. Players:
• Giba (Brazil, retired, played for various clubs including Isku Volley)
• Earvin N'Gapeth (France, Zenit Kazan)
• Wilfredo León (Cuba/Poland, Sir Safety Perugia)
European Basketball:
1. Clubs:
• Real Madrid Baloncesto (Spain)
• CSKA Moscow (Russia)
• Fenerbahçe Basketball (Turkey)
2. Players:
• Dimitris Diamantidis (Greece, retired, played for Panathinaikos)
• Nando de Colo (France, Fenerbahçe)
• Sergio Llull (Spain, Real Madrid Baloncesto)
Water Polo:
1. Clubs:
• Pro Recco (Italy)
• VK Jug Dubrovnik (Croatia)
• Szolnoki Vízilabda SC (Hungary)
2. Players:
• Filip Filipović (Serbia, Pro Recco)
• Dénes Varga (Hungary, Ferencvárosi TC)
• Andrija Prlainović (Serbia, Szolnoki Vízilabda SC)
Chess (Not typically associated with clubs, but countries and tournaments):
1. Players:
• Magnus Carlsen (Norway, reigning World Chess Champion)
• Fabiano Caruana (United States, runner-up in the 2018 World Chess Championship)
• Viswanathan Anand (India, former World Chess Champion)