Messi, Ronaldo, Bolt, Schumacher, Federer: Top 25 athletes of the 2000s ranked | OneFootball

Trying to decide who is the best athlete of all time is an incredibly difficult task, especially when you have to compare different eras as well as disciplines.

To make the assignment a little easier, the top athletes of the 2000s have been voted on, with all competing in the same era.

Fans have been voting on The Top Tens’ website for who they believe to be the greatest athlete of the 2000s, and the results are in…

25. Ronaldinho

24. Manny Pacquiao

23. Lorenzo Bernardi

22. Tamas Kasas

21. Cristiano Ronaldo

20. Tim Duncan

19. Serena Williams

18. Valentino Rossi

17. Ian Thorpe

16. Albert Pujols

15. Sebastien Loeb

14. Yelena Isinbaeva

13. Drew Brees

12. Ryoko Tani

11. Kenenisa Bekele

10. Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time, winning seven world titles which included five consecutive triumphs from 2000-2004 so seeing him in the top 10 of this list won’t raise any eyebrows.

9. Lauren Jackson

One of the greatest female basketball players of all time, Lauren Jackson is a national treasure to the Aussies. She has just been named in the World Cup squad after a 12-year absence.

Lionel Messi, where do you start with him? Widely regarded as the greatest footballer to ever play the game, he has to feature. He dominated La Liga for the best part of two decades with Barcelona, breaking records at a canter.

The Swiss racket man is aging like fine wine and is the greatest tennisWimbledon in the 2000s, he commands a spot on this list.

Regardless of whether you like NFL or not, Peyton Manning is a name you’ll know. The quarterback is one of the icons of the sport and was awarded as the most valuable player in the NFL a record five times, including four times in the noughties.

Kobe Bryant was an icon of the sporting world until his untimely death, but his legacy lives on after his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships on his way to being an 18-time All-Star.

4. Tiger Woods

Despite his controversies away from sport, Tiger Woods is an icon of the sporting world for his achievements in golf. Few, if any, can come close to matching his achievements and legacy in the sport, but he just misses out on the podium here.

Just like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James is an all-time great of the basketball court, with many struggling to split the two with an unbiased view, however LeBron just pips his rival on this list to take the bronze medal.

The American swimmer is the all-time leading medal winner at the Olympics, securing 28 podium places in the pool, with 23 gold, three silver and two bronze, his dominance at the biggest show on earth has him just miss out on another gold medal here.

No one will be shocked to see Usain Bolt here. In the 2000s he dominated the sprinting scene with plenty of medals in his pocket including a world record for the 100m in 2009 which many sprinters have tried to beat but have struggled to get anywhere close to the Jamaican’s speed.