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I had to google Joe "who?" Montana
Difficult one, what criteria – achievements, talent, fame, etc?
Anyway, my four would be:
Thierry Henry – talent, strike rate, longevity, professionalism and sheer weight of awards won, they don’t give away statues at Arsenal you know
Joe Calzaghe – Beating all he could face, longevity at the top level and doing what only a handful of boxers have ever done, finishing as unbeaten world champ
Ronnie O’Sullivan – unquestionably the greatest natural talent his game has ever seen, ability to do things no opponent can, achievements and winnings while undoubtedly also under-achieving
Phil Taylor – the best at his game ever, twenty years at the top and no sign of stopping, sheer scale of achievements will never be equalled
Can’t have jockeys or racing drivers as the best achievers in those type of events have the help of the best partners.
A footballer has the help of many partners.It’s what he does with that help that makes him great.If ones competitors count then jockeys are entitled to be called great.Somebody once said that horses run faster for little Willie Shoemaker.Surely "wee Anthony" cannot claim that it is the better horses that make him great?.There are so many not mentioned here.Scotland and Brazil are known for GP Formula One drivers and Ireland/North and South for golfers.Incidentally Germany while known for it’s soccer team seems bereft of individual champions at sports.I enjoy reading the greats I overlooked but acknowledge.How about Don Bradman?
Thierry Henry could hardly be acclaimed for professionalism following his display against Ireland in the recent World Cup.And yes I am pretty old.
Thierry Henry could hardly be acclaimed for professionalism following his display against Ireland in the recent World Cup.
And yes I am pretty old
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How about Don Bradman?
Don Bradman
You’ll be nominating Henry VIII next
Bradman retired from Test Cricket in 1948, though he is undoubtedly the greatest batsman the game has seen, your question would preclude him. Similarly George Herman Ruth who was the world’s first sports icon, Ali and Jordan used the media to sell themselves to the public in ways the Babe did not have available to him. I would have to choose Seve Ballesteros over Tiger Woods based purely on natural golfing genius, though technological advances in equipment make comparisons very difficult, could Tiger do what Bobby Jones did with using his equipment and vice versa.
It was very hard to leave out Daley Thompson, watching him in his prime (9 years) you knew that he was always in control even if it appeared otherwise, in what is the most demanding event there is.
Muhammad Ali
Pele
Lester Piggott
Roger FedererGambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Ian Botham
Viv Richards
Andy Caddick
Marcus TrescothickCharles Darwin to conquer the World
Some interesting names and good points. Andy(dod) – you seem a little hard on the krauts, Michael Schumacher, Steffi Graf and Boris Becker were pretty good at their sport, although considering the population of Germany, you may still be right in suggesting they underperform. (Haven’t they produced the odd golfer too?).
How many Germans (or non-Brits for that matter) have ever heard of Lester Piggott or Tony McCoy or Jocky Wilson or Phil Taylor etc?
How many non-racing fans have heard of Willie Shoemaker (or younger racing fans for that matter.)
If greateness were to mean internationally known even in countries where that person’s particular sport wasn’t popular, then I guess there wouldn’t be too many candidates.Pele
Muhammed Ali
maybe, just maybe
Roger Federer and John McEnroeCan’t think of too many females. Martina Navratilova or Billie Jean King maybe.
Please don’t tell me you never heard of Don Badman.Henry,I read, was a renouned sportsman but he was before my time.If you consider those German athletes to be one of a kind OK but those mentioned each had at least one or two comparable to them at the time with the exception of Schumacher who had Mercedes behind him.I just gave my most famous. And I did not mention that guy who won all the medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Jesse Owens.I was born 1934.Athletes is a small pool of people I realise and the general public has little interest in them.But most people seem to have heard of The Greatest.Jordan is known here to people outside the pool due to the kids wanting to buy Air Jordan shoes.Most everyone knows Tiger for one reason or another.
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