50 | Sebastian Loeb | Rally Car
“A legend of the World Rally Championship and, for some, the best hands in motorsport history.”
49 | Conor McGregor | UFC
“The man who has rocketed the popularity of mixed martial arts to its peak.”
48 | Alejandro Valverde | Cycling
“The most regular cyclist of this century, with an almost unmatched record, is still active at 40.”
47 | Dirk Nowitzki | Basketball
“First European to be MVP of the season in the NBA and sixth scorer of all time.”
46 | Fernando Alonso | Formula One
“The most versatile and comprehensive driver in modern motorsport history.”
45 | David Rudisha | Athletics
“The midfondista who elevated the simple act of running to the category of art.”
44 | Fabian Cancellara | Cycling
“Considered as one of the best classic addicts in the history of cycling.”
43 | Barry Bonds | Baseball
“One of the best baseball players in history but suspicions of doping have weighed on his legend.”
42 | Daniel Dias | Adapted Swimming
“The Brazilian Paralympic is considered the Michael Phelps of adapted swimming.”
41 | Bradley Wiggins | Cycling
“The ‘pistard’ who hit the road to pay the mortgage and ended up winning the Tour de France.”
40 | Alistair Brownlee | Triathlon
“The most ruthless ‘killer’ in triathlon history and the man who has revolutionized his sport.”
39 | Stephane Peterhansel | Rally Car
“He is and always will be ‘Monsieur Dakar’ and there will never be another who can wear this title of honor.”
38 | Ian Thorpe | Swimming
“One of the greatest swimmers in history despite having a short career.”
37 | Andres Iniesta | Football
“The magic of unstoppable La Roja and the best Barça in history, a great footballer.”
36 | Ricardinho | Futsal
“Six times named best player in the world, he is the most representative figure of futsal in the last decade.”
35 | Vincenzo Nibali | Cycling
“The boy from Messina who showed Italy that the people of the south also knew how to climb ports.”
34 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Athletics
“The best midfond runner in history was crowned in Athens 2004 with a legendary double.”
33 | Sebastien Vettel | Formula One
“The third in all the important F1 statistics, with a truly incredible record.”
32 | Shaquille O'Neal | Basketball
“The last great center of NBA history, an indefensible player.”
31 | Kelly Slater | Surfing
“The youngest world champion and also the longest-lived in the history of surfing.”
30 | Floyd Mayweather | Boxing
“The technically most outstanding boxer of this century who also finished his career unbeaten.”
29 | Alberto Contador | Cycling
“The best Spanish cyclist since Miguel Indurain, an aggressive climber who dazzled fans.”
28 | Tim Duncan | Basketball
“The greatest power forward of all time and the owner of the NBA for almost 15 years.”
27 | Kenenisa Bekele | Athletics
“The long-distance runner who was able to overcome the legacy of Haile Gebrselassie and extend the Ethiopian reign.”
26 | Teddy Riner | Judo
“The best judoka in history, he was undefeated for almost ten years and is an icon of French sport.”
25 | Zinedine Zidane | Football
“One of the most elegant footballers in history and the author of the most remembered goal in the Champions League.”
24 | Nikola Karabatic | Handball
“Three times IHF Player of the Year and three other seconds.”
23 | Kohei Uchimura | Artistic Gymnastics
“Simply the most complete gymnast in history, with unmatched technical mastery.”
22 | Ronaldinho | Football
“The last great representative of the Brazilian "jogo bonito" and romanticism in football.”
21 | Marcel Hirscher | Skiing
“Possibly the best skier in history, with 67 World Cup victories.”
20 | Kilian Jornet | Mountain running
“The Leonardo da Vinci of the summits, a myth of trail running and mountain skiing that knows no limits.”
19 | Ronaldo | Football
“Possibly the best "9" in the history of football despite the injuries that weighed down his career.”
18 | Tom Brady | American Football
“The best quarterbacks in NFL history with the numbers in hand.”
17 | Chris Froome | Cycling
“The best cyclist of the modern era and third to win the big three in a row.”
16 | Manny Pacquiao | Boxing
“One of the most versatile fighters of all time and an example of how to get up after defeat.”
15 | Lebron James | Basketball
“The evolution of basketball made player and the only one who can discuss the historical throne to Michael Jordan.”
14 | Eliud Kipchoge | Athletics
“The athlete who has taken the marathon to a new dimension with his power and regularity.”
13 | Michael Schumacher | Formula One
“A relentless predator, with a charisma that seems to have vanished from the current Formula 1 grid.”
12 | Marc Marquez | Motorcycling
“For some he is already the best driver of all time for his rivals and the current mechanical equality compared to other times.”
11 | Novak Djokovic | Tennis
“The tennis player without weak points who threatens to break all the records of Federer and Nadal.”
10 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football
“One of the best ‘killers’ in football history, an unparalleled competitor who always wants more.”
9 | Valentino Rossi | Motorcycling
“The best rider in the history of the Motorcycle World Cup, at least until Marc Márquez proves otherwise.”
8 | Lewis Hamilton | Formula One
“The pilot who is on his way to break all the records of the Great Circus.”
7 | Lionel Messi | Football
“The best soccer player of the present century and for many, the best in history.”
6 | Tiger Woods | Golf
“The athlete who has most transformed a specialty, so much so that his figure rises well above golf.”
5 | Kobe Bryant | Basketball
“A tragically missing myth. He pretended to be Jordan and was Kobe Bryant, the most worthy successor.”
4 | Rafael Nadal | Tennis
“The ‘alien’ of Roland Garros and the player with the most hunger for glory in history.”
3 | Roger Federer | Tennis
“Elegance made tennis and the highest paid athlete on the planet.”
2 | Usain Bolt | Athletics
“The most charismatic athlete in history and the one who brought athletics to the forefront of media interest.”
1 | Michael Phelps | Swimming
“The swimmer who rewrote the history of his sport and the Olympics with impossible numbers.”
