The 100 Most Famous Athletes of All Time

Ranked by Wikipedia link data — the closer to #1, the more famous.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo headline a top five completed by Muhammad Ali, Pelé and Diego Maradona — fame here ignores every border of sport, ranked by Wikipedia link data across languages. Footballers, fighters, sprinters and racers share one leaderboard. Scroll the hundred, then see how many you could name against the clock.

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  1. Lionel MessiLionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League…
  2. Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains the Saudi…
  3. Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist.
  4. PeléEdson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.
  5. Diego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona was an Argentine professional football player and manager.
  6. Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1991 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2012.
  7. Roger FedererRoger Federer is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association…
  8. NeymarNeymar da Silva Santos Júnior, known mononymously as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking…
  9. Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera, 1st Marquess of Llevant de Mallorca is a Spanish former professional tennis player.
  10. Novak DjokovicNovak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the…
  11. Zinedine ZidaneZinedine Yazid Zidane, popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an…
  12. Michael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman, former professional basketball player, and…
  13. David BeckhamSir David Robert Joseph Beckham is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and…
  14. Usain BoltUsain St. Leo Bolt is a Jamaican retired sprinter. Widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, he is an eight-time…
  15. Kylian MbappéKylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the…
  16. Johan Cruyff
  17. Francesco Totti
  18. Serena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player.
  19. Zlatan IbrahimovićZlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
  20. Fernando Alonso
  21. Lewis HamiltonSir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari.
  22. Franz Beckenbauer
  23. Kobe BryantKobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player.
  24. RonaldinhoRonaldo de Assis Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who…
  25. Luis Suárez
  26. Alex Ferguson
  27. Maria Sharapova
  28. LeBron JamesLeBron Raymone James Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball…
  29. Luka ModrićLuka Modrić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan and captains the…
  30. Gianluigi Buffon
  31. Mike Tyson
  32. Ayrton SennaAyrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver and philanthropist who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994.
  33. José Mourinho
  34. Karim Benzema
  35. Michael PhelpsMichael Fred Phelps II is an American former competitive swimmer.
  36. Robert Lewandowski
  37. Andrés Iniesta
  38. Mesut Özil
  39. Max Verstappen
  40. Frank Lampard
  41. Michel Platini
  42. Mohamed SalahMohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly is an Egyptian professional footballer who last played for Premier League club Liverpool as a…
  43. Thierry Henry
  44. Lance Armstrong
  45. Sebastian Vettel
  46. Wayne Rooney
  47. Miroslav Klose
  48. Iker Casillas
  49. Imran KhanImran Ahmed Khan Niazi is a Pakistani former cricketer, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 19th prime minister of…
  50. Jimmie Johnson
  51. Antoine Griezmann
  52. Manuel Neuer
  53. KakáRicardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, commonly known as Kaká or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who…
  54. Andre Agassi
  55. Robin van Persie
  56. Martina NavratilovaMartina Navratilova is a Czech-American former professional tennis player.
  57. Xavi Hernández
  58. Erling HaalandErling Braut Haaland is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and…
  59. Steven Gerrard
  60. Jesse OwensJames Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who made history at the 1936 Olympic Games by winning four…
  61. EusébioEusébio da Silva Ferreira, nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "o Rei", was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.
  62. Pep Guardiola
  63. Harry KaneHarry Edward Kane is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and captains…
  64. Tiger WoodsEldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer.
  65. George Weah
  66. Gareth Bale
  67. Thomas Müller
  68. Ferenc Puskás
  69. Paul Pogba
  70. Eden Hazard
  71. Arjen Robben
  72. Arsène Wenger
  73. Venus WilliamsVenus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player.
  74. Gerard Piqué
  75. Kevin De Bruyne
  76. Andy Murray
  77. Lamine Yamal
  78. Samuel Eto'o
  79. Lukas Podolski
  80. Sadio ManéSadio Mané is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.
  81. Nadia ComăneciNadia Elena Comăneci Conner is a Romanian retired gymnast. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events.
  82. Fernando Torres
  83. Gerd Müller
  84. Didier DrogbaDidier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
  85. Roberto BaggioRoberto Baggio is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder.
  86. Sergio Agüero
  87. Alfredo Di Stéfano
  88. James Rodríguez
  89. Sergio Ramos
  90. Kimi Räikkönen
  91. Mario Balotelli
  92. Olivier Giroud
  93. Franck Ribéry
  94. Romelu Lukaku
  95. Gary Lineker
  96. George Best
  97. Lev Yashin
  98. Carlo Ancelotti
  99. Marco van Basten
  100. Thibaut Courtois

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