The 15 most popular athletes of all time have been ranked | OneFootball

One of the most common debates in the world of sports is who is the greatest athlete of all time. It’s an almost impossible list to determine, with so many factors coming into consideration. Accolades in their respective sports, social media presence, and general persona are some of the key factors that we use to rank athletes, but TheTopTen use fans to rank theirs.

Ranking athletes is not their only list, however, as they also have tier lists for animals, books, and even quirky lists such as, ‘things we learned in school that are now useless.’ That's probably quite a long list... apologies if any teachers are reading this!

Today, we're not just going to look into the top 15 athletes of all time, oh no, we're going to look into the top 15 most popular athletes of all time, according to the fans. They may not be the greatest, but they are loved, so without further ado, let's get into the list!

15 Cristiano Ronaldo

Some football fanatics will cringe at the sight of Ronaldo being so far down this list. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, three-time Best FIFA Men’s Player, and three-time UEFA Men’s Player of the Year is one of football's most decorated players and has won every trophy in the game except the World Cup and has amassed 1,181 games for club and country and scored an obscene 851 goals. He has achieved greatness in his respective sport but has also dominated social media, obtaining the most followers on Instagram with 601 million.

Truly one of the best to ever do it and at the age of 38, he is still playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. During the current campaign, the Portuguese superstar has found the net 11 times in as many appearances for the team he joined in January 2023. His move to the emerging league after leaving Manchester United via mutual consent drew millions of eyes to the league that wouldn't have previously been interested in Al Nassr. To get an idea of Ronaldo's influence across the globe, just ask anyone - football fan or not - if they know who he is. He is one of 10 players with the most 10/10 match ratings since 2015, which, again, is why this might surprise a few for having him so low down on this list.

14 Muhammad Ali

The greatest heavyweight to ever do it? Mike Tyson and Tyson Fury may debate that, but the talent, drive, and determination that Muhammad Ali offers in the ring is in tandem with his efforts outside it. In 2012, the eight-time heavyweight champion of the world was handed the Liberty Medal which honours an individual's leadership in the pursuit of freedom. Ali was one of the main driving forces for change in humanitarian causes, civil rights, and religious freedom and was recognised as the ‘Champion of Freedom’. An elite striker and a pioneer for the sport of boxing, but also a hugely influential figure in shaping the world in which we live today. His rivalry with the likes of Joe Frazier are etched into the history of the sport, and even produced boxing's most cinematic punch against him. Not only that, but his antics in the ring is something that is still talked about to this day. His famous 'rope-a-dope' tactic against Michael Dokes in 1977 shocked the world - dodging 21 punches in 10 seconds.

Unfortunately, the man considered to be the biggest influence in boxing history passed away in 2016, but his legacy within the sporting world will live on forever such was the impact he made during his time. With 56 wins and only 5 losses is an impressive record for the former heavyweight champion, although it doesn't even go a fraction of the way to explain the impression left by the man behind the athlete.

13 Serena Williams

The greatest female tennis player to do it bar none. Now retired, Williams can look back on her time in the sport of tennis with huge admiration given she's one of the most dominant athletes to have ever played the women's game. The Women’s Tennis Association had her ranked World No.1 in singles on eight separate occasions between 2008 and 2017, first reaching the top spot in 2002 when she was just 21. Williams is second in the all-time Grand Slam winners list as far as singles titles are concerned. Only Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court managed to win more. She has also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus and three doubles gold medals at the Olympics.

Speaking of Venus, it was clear throughout their careers that Serena was the more successful sister with 79 singles titles to her name in comparison to her sibling's - still very impressive - 49. It is no slight on Venus as she is one of the best women's Tennis players in history in her own right but does also give an idea of Serena's inclusion on this list.

12 Usain Bolt

He is literally, the fastest man on the planet and not a bad footballer either as we’ve come to learn through his performances at Soccer Aid. While he didn't sign a professional contract, how can you sum up Bolt’s dominance in track and field in comparison? He is an eight-time Olympic Gold medallist, a two-time 4 x 100 relay gold medallist, the only sprinter to win Olympic 100m and 200m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016), and of course, is the current world record holder for the 100m sprint with an astonishing time of 9.58 seconds which he achieved in 2009. Even his performance levels at the age of 16 were remarkable even to this day.

Not only does the 6"5' Jamaican hold the 100m sprint record, but he also holds the same record for the 200m sprint with an astonishing 19.19 seconds. At that rate, most may have got out of bed, but not made it out of the bedroom. Upon his emergence in the world of Athletics, Bolt has become a global superstar with many even familiar with the famous pose he used as a celebration of his various successes. Whether his 100m world record will ever be broken, is a debate that will continue long into the night.

11 Tom Brady

Brady’s list of accomplishments, individual awards, and moments is genuinely the length of a scroll, so let’s try to sum it up as neatly as possible. Having initially struggled in his early days after spending two years as a backup at the University of Michigan and being the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady has gone on to play in more Super Bowls than any other player in the NFL’s history - winning seven. That means he’s won more Super Bowls than any other player and any single NFL franchise and is also one of the highest-paid athletes ever. Now retired, he is now a minority owner of Birmingham City Football Club.

The 46-year-old is seen in large parts of America as the greatest athlete ever, which just goes to show the popularity of the man and might come as a surprise that he finishes as low as he does on the list. Not only that but he now has one of the most iconic jersey numbers in NFL history. It is possibly in part down to the fact American Football isn't as big a global sport as others. But in 2023, it is certainly on the rise now that the franchise has launched the London Games. Brady is the only person on this list to have competed in the sport meaning he is seen as the most popular from that specific world.

10 LeBron James

Whenever any basketball newbie goes to shoot a hoop, one of the names that is screamed is ‘LeBron’. Similar to how football fans roar ‘Gerrard’ or ‘Rooney’ when lining up a cannon from outside the box. The NBA’s leading all-time scorer and the only player to record over 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists is most notably regarded for his unbelievable carry while at the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007.

James scored a career playoff-high of 48 points to carry his team to within one game of the NBA finals for the first time with a 109-107 double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons. They were comprehensively beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in the finals, but LeBron would go on to win four, featuring in 10. At the age of 38, he still plays with the LA Lakers and is on course to break more records.

Considered to be the best player from the last decade, across that time, goes a long way to show his influence. It only takes a glance at his Instagram following which currently sits at 158 million to see how many fans across the world James has accumulated over the years.

9 Sir Donald Bradman

If Australia had this guy around today, they would be an unstoppable force. In international Test cricket, Bradman has scored a stunning 6,996 runs for his nation and set an indomitable record with an average of 99.94 runs per match. This record remains the benchmark to this very day. He also proved to be a scourge for England, hitting 19 centuries against them between 1928 and 1948. He received an OBE for his conquering of the cricket world and is still fondly remembered as one of the best, if not the best to do it.

He may be a name slightly unfamiliar to many fans of other sports today, but anyone with a strong knowledge of cricket will still be more than aware of the achievements of the Australian. Bradman's popularity, even two decades after his passing, is a testament to how big his impact was on the sport.

8 Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky’s time spent in hockey lasted 20 seasons, in which he played for four teams during the period from 1979 to 1999. Dubbed the best to step foot on the ice, Gretzky holds that many records in the NHL we can’t write them all down. 61 to be precise. Some of the most notable are a single-season haul of 92 goals, a point streak of 51 games, and an astonishing 894 career goals and 2,857 career points. On top of this, Gretzky has won four Stanley Cups.

Gretzky was known as 'The White Tornado' during his early playing days due to the white gloves he used to wear along with the lightning speed he also possessed, and his inclusion on this list shows the incredible name he made for himself in a sport that is not considered to be one of the most popular on the planet.

7 Lionel Messi

Similar to Ronaldo, a lot of football fans will be furious at Lionel Messi being ranked just seventh given his accomplishments in football and the sheer weight his name holds. Who doesn’t know the name Messi? A seven-time Ballon d’Or winner with Barcelona and 12-time league title winner with the Spanish giants and PSG, Messi has won it all. His leading role in Argentina’s recent World Cup triumph in Qatar has arguably edged him ahead of Ronaldo and emulated the achievements of the great Diego Maradona.

With 1,065 games under his belt and 825 goals, Messi now flexes his talents in America with the MLS side Inter Miami - recently winning the Leagues Cup and scoring 10 times in just seven games. His highlights for Miami on debut prove he's still world-class. Teaming up with David Beckham, one of the greatest passers in Premier League history, the Argentine has brought many more eyes with him to the MLS in a similar way to Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. Many track the careers of both men to keep their long-running competition alive even into their late 30s to see who has the better stats. Fans will be devastated when Messi finally hangs up his boots as the 36-year-old is largely seen as the best to have ever graced a football pitch.

6 Roger Federer

Federer remains the only tennis player, male or female, to win five consecutive titles at the US Open and has won a record 71 hard court titles. He is also the first male player to win 20 Grand Slam titles and the only player to win two Grand Slams five consecutive times. His accolades are truly bonkers and his fitting farewell to the sport of tennis where he played Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup illuminated the magnitude of his career - easily one of sport's greatest ever rivalries that we've seen. The Swiss great even had Nadal in tears, with the pair sharing the court countless times together. His retirement has left a huge gaping void in the world of tennis.

While his record for the number of Grand Slam titles may have been beaten by Novak Djokovic, there is no doubt that the former world number one will forever be remembered fondly with it being extremely difficult to dislike the man with his personality off the court matching the breathtaking ability he showed on it over his two-decade spell in the professional sport. Because of these achievements, Federer is comfortably one of the greatest male tennis players of all time.

5 Larry Bird

If you listen to American rap and aren’t familiar with Larry Bird, you may have heard his name referenced a million times by certain rappers. The guy is a cult hero even though he retired from basketball back in 1992. Bird became the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% or better on field goals, 40% on three-pointers, and 90% on free throws in a single NBA season. As ludicrous as all that sounds, it becomes even more silly when you learn that Bird has achieved that feat twice.

Even after his playing days were over, Bird continued to gain recognition within the sport and was even handed the role of coach of the Indiana Pacers and even won an NBA Coach of the Year award as he excelled in the sport once more, just in a different role. Leading the team to a very respectable 58-24 record, he took a step back from coaching in 2000 before becoming an executive three years later.

4 Babe Ruth

Ruth’s performances in the field of baseball will be remembered for all the numbers and accolades he amassed, but the symbolic nature of Ruth is what made him such a legend. He became indicative of America’s power during the 1920s through his dominance in baseball. During his tenure, Ruth was one of only two players to hit three home runs in a World Series Game. He is also a four-time World Series champion followed by 714 career home runs.

Remembered for his leadership qualities while at the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, Ruth is undoubtedly the greatest baseball player of all time, and we may never see anyone like him again. There was even a film made about the man in 1992 which was called 'The Babe' which gives somewhat of a recount of the playing career of Ruth.

3 Pelé

Many people speculate about Pelé’s time in football and whether his statistics are accurate. In 2015, Pelé posted a tweet that stated he had scored 1,283 goals during his illustrious career. Many people debate that, but what they can't argue with is his pioneering influence on the game of football. Much of the skills, tricks, and dribbles you see on display from some of the world’s top talents today were invented by Pelé. Just look at his highlights. He set the benchmark and laid down the blueprint for future generations to follow. And whatever about his goal tally, try arguing with his record of three World Cups.

Pele sadly passed away in 2022 but this hasn't stopped the Brazilian's legacy from being immortalised as one of the greatest to have played the sport. Even young football fans now are well aware of who he is despite the fact his career ended decades ago and many people will have missed his best years within the game. Pele was also awarded seven retrospective Ballon d'Or awards by France Football, which is as many awards as record-holder Messi has amassed.

2 Michael Jordan

If you aren’t familiar with the career of Michael Jordan, just watch the documentary ‘The Last Dance’. A quick spoiler is that this guy was so good, he took a few months out to try his luck at baseball. The six-time NBA champion, six-time MVP, and 14-time NBA All-Star is often the name most associated with the GOAT in basketball. Most often compared with James, Jordan is statistically better than him, averaging three more points per game and having a much bigger trophy cabinet. His best moment undoubtedly came during the final year of the prominent Chicago Bulls team. The Bulls led the Utah Jazz 3-2 in the series, and Game 6 was being played in Utah. With 5.2 seconds remaining, Jordan rewarded Chicago fans with one final game-winning shot to make the Bulls six-time NBA Champions and one of the all-time great shooting guards.

As one of the most respected athletes ever, Jordan starred in the 1996 'Space Jam' film which put eyes on him of those who may have missed his playing career and only served to grow his popularity across the globe with a younger audience. The 60-year-old is still considered as the best-ever Basketball player and finishing above the likes of LeBron James on this list goes to show that further. Some would argue that Jordan would be even better in today's NBA and it's difficult to argue against that.

1 Diego Maradona

This one is up for debate, but making a case for Maradona being the most popular athlete of all time is not that hard. His goal-scoring tally doesn’t come close to the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Pelé, with just 338 goals in little more than 600 games, but if we incorporate the traditional ‘eye test’, Maradona reigns supreme. His skills, dribbling prowess, and ability to alter a game in an instant are what make him so great. His solo goal against England in the 1986 World Cup is a prime example.

The four-time Argentinian Footballer of the Year, two-time Scudetto winner with Napoli, and a World Cup winner with Argentina is more added substance to the argument. Just look how adored he is in Naples and Argentina. The Italian club have even named their stadium after the great man. Despite his passing in late 2020, he is still one VERY popular athlete!