Who do you think is the best athlete in history?

[nasty bent gorilla]

I am a big fan of football and I could name Maradona or Messi. I also have admiration for Jordan or Tom Brady. But I think the best sports athlete I ever saw is Roger Federer.

Maradona is the ultimate sportsman, a Nietzschean overman combining genius, lion and devil. I'm not sure he was was only human, maybe a demigod. His balls were huge when it counted.

 

[DrBadBeat]

Bo Jackson in terms of sports prowess.

I think LeBron in terms of pure athlete even though I have Jordan as a better basketball player if that makes sense.

 

[machinm19]

Wow this is hard, I would say Usain Bolt. What a great person too. I also worshipped Maradona as a kid he was honestly unreal. I could not believe my eyes at how good Diego was at football.

 

[Whompus]

Jordan in basketball, Brady in football!!

 

[Normino]

Micheal Jordan - If he played in today nba where there no blocking and got fouled all the time he prob get over 50 points per game

 

[Danymanxd]

Carl Lewis throughout the political and cultural environment. 10 medals

 

[MAGICUZ]

I refrain from answering, it's just that my list of the greatest athletes is very long

 

[Kompany]

Marriane Vos. Vos the Boss.

 

[Argonaut]

Ancient World - Leonidas of Rhodes

Modern World - Jim Thorpe

 

[Foldcallraise]

As I have been following soccer since I was little, I put Lionel Messi of my generation, he is different, he does the simple and does well, despite the age at which he is far from his golden years, he is a very important figure in the world of soccer

 

[Andrii Lubentsov]

Michael Phelps-23 times Olympic Champion.

 

[roger perkins]

Bo Jackson yes and let us not forget another 2 sport superstar Neon Deion Sanders the only athlete to play in a super bowl and world series he was also the only athlete to suit up in a football game (Falcons) and a baseball game (Braves) on the same day.

 

[rucucu16]

I think it is very difficult to choose just one, there were great athletes in many disciplines, Jordan in basketball, Maradona in soccer, Messi, Federer in tennis, Bolt in athletics and so we could continue all day

 

[oarroyo]

Ronaldinho Gaucho

 

[AtiFCOD]

Katinka Hosszú (swimmer), Maradona (soccer), Sergei Bubka (ukrainian pole vaulter), Mohammed Ali (box) and many many more...

 

[juan1579]

I think it depends on each sport in soccer, Maradonna and Jordan in basketball.

 

[stepashka321]

I am a bit wonder, why so many people nominate for athletes from basketball and football. In team games, psychology is so important, not physical development or technique , people who like to delve into themselves find it more difficult to fully realize themselves there.
Athletes from solo disciplines impress me more, let it be jamaican Usain Bolt. In vain, of course, he didn’t run the distance to the end at full strength in Berlin, so the record would have been better, and not 9.58 seconds on 100m.

 

[722Wade722]

I'm not a fan of boxing, but he is the greatest:

Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali

I’d have to agree, not only great in his sport but given the times and the politics he came up in and how he persevered only solidifies it for me.

 

[gabryyyel31]

Michael Phelps-23 times Olympic Champion.

Hard to believe that someone in the next decades will be able to beat this record.

 

[pirateglenn]

Great Question!
Personally - i would have to vote for Jesse Owens - for reasons more than just athletics.

 

[xOneCoolHandx]

Such a tough and interesting question. Like a few posters above, I also like Jim Thorpe but Bo Jackson and Dione Sanders are pretty close and Wilt Chamberlin was amazing. He is the ONLY person that they had to change the NBA rules for and after he retired from the NBA, he had a tremendous volleyball career. But, how about Micheal Phelps, Most decorated athlete in Olympic history. He certainly has to be a candidate. This is all with an American bias of course because I rarely get to see athletes from other countries play.

 

[IronMike9000]

Michael Phelps 100%

250 million play football with 3.5 billion fans, less than 1 million swim competitively the talent pool (excuse the pun) for football is far greater. If 250 million swam competively Phelps would be noting than a lifeguard. Messi is the GOAT.

 

[IronMike9000]

I think Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the biggest references in modern sport, because his commitment, his will to win, his care and his professionalism is something unique, especially for football players today. He's an inspiration for life and I don't even like football, but he's speechless...

And Messi is better

 

[Shooter74]

Pelé, off course...

 

[AlphaCentauro]

I am a big fan of football and I could name Maradona or Messi. I also have admiration for Jordan or Tom Brady. But I think the best sports athlete I ever saw is Roger Federer.

Roy Jones Jr and this is a pure subjective opinion!