In sports, there are generational talents in each era. Many great athletes and analysts, including fans, argue who among these extraordinary humans is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T) of their sport.
That being said, we have listed the athletes that sports betting sites like OKBET have been following for all their much-anticipated matches. Here are the players who we considered the G.O.A.T in their chosen sport.
Table of Contents
Basketball – Michael Jordan
Source: cnbc.com
The 90s basketball was probably the best basketball era. Talents like Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Sam Bowie skyrocketed the sport’s popularity. However, one draft pick stood out from the rest—Michael Jordan.
Jordan was selected as the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. MJ averaged 28.2 points per game in his rookie season and shot 51.5%. He was a natural leader on the court. Hence, he quickly became an All-Star starter.
His prowess on the court, with the help of coach Phil Jackson and teammate Scottie Pippen, had his team winning six rings, accomplishing two three-peats between 1991 and 1998.
While Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are in the mix of basketball’s all-time greats, Jordan’s accomplishments put him at the top, the G.O.A.T of his sport.
Soccer – Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been argued to be the greatest football players. However, only one can be called the greatest of all time.
During the FIFA World Cup 2022, the debate of who is football’s G.O.A.T reached its conclusion.
Ronaldo and his Portugal team exited the Cup early, suffering a 1-0 loss against Morocco. Meanwhile, Messi and Argentina dominated all their matches, defeating Netherlands and Croatia.
A fully-stacked France led by 24-year-old phenom Kylian Mbappé was the final obstacle to Messi’s pursuit of a World Cup trophy. And after a 3-3 draw, Argentina overcame their greatest challenge via a penalty shootout, thus giving Messi his longtime wish—to win the World Cup.
He has completed his collection and other awards like Ballon d’Or, Olympics, and Copa del Ray. He also holds the record as the player with the most FIFA appearances after breaking Lothar Matthaus’ 25.
Football – Tom Brady
Source: boston.com
No one can disagree that Tom Brady is football’s greatest quarterback. He was drafted in 2000 and led the Patriots to a Super Bowl XXXVI win in his first season. It was an iconic moment, especially with a rookie such as himself winning the MVP award.
It was just the first of his seven rings. He gave the Patriots six Super Bowl rings before transferring to Tampa Bay, where he earned his seventh championship.
Despite now at 40 years old, Brady still amuses the crowd. In 2017, he set the record for the longest throw, reaching 4,577 yards.
Ice Hockey – Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky was the best player ice hockey ever had. After transferring from Indianapolis Racers to Edmonton Oilers, he unleashed his full potential. In every season, he scored 400 goals and won four Stanley Cups.
Although he failed to add more rings to his collection after getting traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, the legend made record after record. He accomplished 61 National Hockey League records from regular seasons, playoffs, and All-Star games, establishing himself as the G.O.A.T in hockey.
F1 – Lewis Hamilton
Source: pinterest.com
Although Max Verstappen is on his way to surpassing Lewis Hamilton, the British F1 driver already holds the crown as the greatest racer ever.
In just his second season, Hamilton brought McLaren a world title. He also became the sport’s youngest champion at 22 after winning the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
Under his name, he racked up 103 wins and achieved World Titles. With McLaren, he won 21 Grands Prix. He later on moved to Mercedes and tallied 74 race victories.
Tennis – Roger Federer and Serena Williams
In tennis, two are on the top of the list, considered the G.O.A.Ts—Williams in the women’s division and Federer in the men’s.
Serena holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic Gold Medals. She also racked up 73 titles in the singles division. With her sister Venus, the Serena sisters obliterated all their opponents, winning 14 doubles titles.
Meanwhile, Federer dominated the men’s category. From 2003 to 2007, he won five Wimbledon trophies in a row, for a total of six. Currently, he has eight Wimbledon compared to rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer also holds 20 Grand Slam singles titles and held the world’s top position for 310 weeks.
Golf – Tiger Woods
At a young age, Woods showed promise and was already on the road to greatness. Even before turning pro, he won countless amateur U.S. golf titles.
When he turned 21 in 1997, he joined the U.S. Masters and won, becoming the youngest person to earn the chip. He followed his success by picking up four P.G.A. titles, three U.S. Open and Open Championships, and another three U.S. Masters.
He took a break in 2009 due to controversies involving his marriage. He returned in 2010 but was constantly defeated until, in 2018, he won the PGA Tour Championship.
Boxing – Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Source: youtube.com
Floyd Mayweather Jr retired with an untarnished record, cementing himself as the greatest boxer ever. As an undisputed champion, Floyd was able to defeat 24 world champions.
While many may argue that he was no fighter, it was evident in his bouts that his high IQ and defensive skillset were why he was undefeated.
For instance, his fight against Manny Pacquiao. Although the Filipino champion was relentless, his shots were not damaging. Most of Pacman’s blows were either a miss or deflected. Meanwhile, Floyd’s punches were accurate. Although it did not hurt the Filipino fighter physically, it affected the judges’ scorecard, which the American boxer won.
Conclusion
While there are many extraordinary talents in the sports world, it would be near impossible to reach the achievements done by these athletes. Nevertheless, people have different perspectives on who can be the GOAT. On the other hand, these are the men and women we consider to be the greatest of all time.