The greatest sportsperson?

[ArtetaMoney]

I think longevity has to be considered to be truly great. Messi and Ronaldo were at the top of their games for over 10 years. You’ll often see a someone compete incredibly for a year or two but fail to keep up to those standards for one reason or another.

Ronaldinho being a good example, he had all the attributes to be the best ever.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Eddy Merckx did that. Over a six-year period, he won 35% of all races he entered, which given that a fair few stages on races like the Tour will be sprint stages or won by breakaways makes his record frankly absurd. Over his entire 13-year career, he won 28% of the races he entered.

Was a naughty boy though wasnt he, repeatedly.

 

[Rita_Poon]

That's a very good point.

Just shows how our male brains have been conditioned to think over the years.

Serena Williams was incredible.

Commeneci (spelling?) the Gymnast.

Katerina Witt was absolutely dominant for a while in figure skating.

Sorenstrom in ladies golf.

Navratilova deserves a shout also.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Daley Thompson

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Andy Murray is worth a shout

 

[Drico]

Ali because he called out the racism and bigotry that people faced when it would have been so much easier to play along and "be respectable". Tiger Woods missed his chance to challenge Ali when he primly accepted his green jacket from Augusta National, a club that had denied black people entry unless they were caterers, cleaners, or caddies. Ali would have thrown it back in their faces. Therein likes the difference.

 

[PhilM]

Ronaldinho being a good example, he had all the attributes to be the best ever.

Rooney always comes to mind for me as a somewhat wasted talent. Don't get me wrong, he went on to have a stellar career, but I think back to the early 2000s.

His performances while with us for his first stint and, particularly, his Euro 2004 performances were stellar. He had the world at his feet.

But lifestyle choices limited what he could have become: compare him with Ronaldo and Messi, and arguably he could have been still on their level, if not more.

Ale, ciggies, brasses and al' birds took their toll.

 

[Moomin]

Chris Benoit.

 

[davids]

Daley Thompson

I'd have gone with him until I saw his interview on Carl Lewis

Daley Thompson causes furore at LA Olympics: From the archive, 11 August 1984:

Originally published in the Guardian on 11 August 1984: Gold medal winning British athlete whistled along to national anthem, then made 'disrespectful' comments about Princess Anne at a press conference

www.google.com

 

[davids]

Brian Labone

 

[chrismpw]

Nobody's mentioned me yet? Sake.

 

[Jimishorts]

davek? Nobody catches more fishes than the Angry Orange.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

I'd have gone with him until I saw his interview on Carl Lewis

Daley Thompson causes furore at LA Olympics: From the archive, 11 August 1984:

Originally published in the Guardian on 11 August 1984: Gold medal winning British athlete whistled along to national anthem, then made 'disrespectful' comments about Princess Anne at a press conference

www.google.com

Which ironically enough....Carl Lewis must be up there with the greatest shouts,phenomenonal at the time.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Was a naughty boy though wasnt he, repeatedly.

I wouldn't stake my life that anyone on these lists wasn't/isn't tbh.

 

[Bohemian Toffee]

Some sports have a clear hierarchy of leagues and are statistically dominated by an elite group which makes placing their achievements easier - I am thinking of Wayne Gretzky - but it's probably applicable to the North American sports. Then you factor in how recently these achievements took place, because some sports have made such advancements in training, technique and equipment as to render comparison between eras almost impossible.

Then, the sports global popularity has to be a factor, simply because the more universal a sport the more impressive domination of it becomes.

To make my criteria I am looking for someone who has achieved global recognition in a sport that is accessible to everyone regardless of location or cost.

They should also be free of any nefarious suspicion.

After careful consideration (by which I mean inserting a comedy answer here) I am going for Haile Gebrselassie.

Set 27 world records during his career, beat his own marathon record at the age of 35, now grows coffee in his native Ethiopia.

Legend. You've heard of him, you're not sure why, but he's the pinnacle of what humans evolved to do; running at distance to exhaust prey to a state of collapse.