Rank 'Em - Best Athletes of the 00's

[IrishCanadian25]

Below are my rankings for the best athletes of the past nine and a half years. This is individual athletes, based on their performance in their particular sport. Obviously we don't compare auto racing to golf in terms of athleticism.

Criteria include: overall success, championships, consistence, dominance in their sport for an era, difficulty of the sport, individual awards, mainstream recognition. Steroid scandals can work against a player.

Seeking top ten, but for those of you with little patience, top 5 or top 3 will do, as long as you give reasons for each. No spamming meaning no lists without explanation.


#10 - Michael Phelps - obviously his entire body of work has been lost in his 2008 Summer Olympic performance. Before twitter was the biggest thing on the net, before the recession and everything being about "economic stimulous," Phelps became the best thing to ever hit a pool, and celebrated by being the best thing to ever hit a bong.

#9 - Peyton Manning - he has many of Brett Favre's records in his sights, has gone 100-43 in the 00's with the Colts (a damn impressive football record - it's like being just better than 11-5 every year for 9 straight years), avoided the "Marino Curse" by winning a Super Bowl, and has thrown for a mind boggling 37,295 yards.

#8 - Zinedine Zidane - helped France win the Euro 2000, was a mainstay on Real Madrid for half the decade, and then led France to the 2006 World Cup. His legacy to the casual fan is the headbutt, which is a disservice to his talent.

#7 - LeBron James - While placing him this high was a stretch, you do have to take into account his dominance in High School. TV was picking this kid up as a Sophomore, and when he played a team in your home state as a Junior, you knew about it. He's already won an MVP and brought a Cleveland sports team to relevance. Imagine that...

#6 - Michael Schumacher - 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04. That's a list of both every one of the first 5 years of the decade, as well as every year Schumacher won the F-1 Championship. He took third in 2005 and second in 2006.

#5 - Tom Brady - He was tied with Kobe for most titles in the 00's at 3 until the Lakers won their 4th this year. Still, 3 titles in the first half of the decade is damn impressive in an NFL that has shown increasing parity each year. Plus, being in the same conference as the Colts and Steelers, AND having gone 18-0 en route to another SB only to lose a heartbreaker to the Giants - you have to respect what Tom Brady has done.

#4 - Lance Armstrong - Face facts - nobosy outside of France really gave a shit about the Tour until Capt. Livestrong. Jan Ullrich was a great cyclist, but he didn't get many US endorsements. Lancey one-nut won 7 straight TDF's after surviving testicular cancer, and is making a comeback now to win his 8th in the most drug tainted sport on the planet.

#3 - Kobe Bryant - Kobe has 4 rings, MVP honors, scoring titles, etc. The man is just plain great at basketball. He will eventually pass the NBA torch (given to him by Jordan) over to LeBron, but Kobe still has a lot left in the tank. He won't touch Bill Russell's 10 titles, but he'll make a run at 7.

#2 - Tiger Woods - What can you say about Tiger that hasn't been said before. He dominates golf. He's like the Hulk Hogan os golf - when he's on the tour, the fans only care about him, but that's okay, because everyone makes more money when he's on the tour. He could shit 5 times a day and wipe his ass with $1,000 bills, and he'd never run out of money.

#1 - Roger Federer - I place him over Woods for a few reasons. Sports talk radio gives Tiger the edge because in golf, one player has to "beat the entire field to win a major," whereas a tennis player has to only beat 6 people. I counter that with this - a tennis player has to play great 6 times. In golf, you can have a bad day and rebound from it. Bad day in a tennis tournament? You're out. Federer is only 27 and has won 15 majors, making the finals in more than half of the majors of the last 8 years. While Tiger has gotten occassional competition from Phil Mickelson, Federer has gotten slammed with guys names Nadal and Roddick in their primes, and is still being called the greatest player ever. He's done two things Sampras never has - won 15 majors, and won the French Open. He'll be the greatest athlete of the 00's when December rolls around.

Honorable Mention - Albert Pujols, LaDanian Tomlinson, Martin Brodeur, Shaq, Candace Parker, Ichiro, Takeru Kobaiashi.

 

[jmt225]

10. Anderson Silva - On June 28, 2006... this man stepped into the UFC Octagon for the very first time. And what did he do? Absolutely destroy Chris Leben, a very good fighter, in 49 seconds. And since that time, he has not been defeated. No one has even come close. And even before that now famous fight against Leben, Silva had a tremendous record and was defeating top notch fighters. He definitely deserves a place on this list.

9. Floyd Mayweather - 17-0 this decade, and one of boxing's top draws. He's cocky, flamboyant, but there has not been a person thus far who has been able to step in the ring against him and defeat him. He's pound 4 pound one of the greatest fighters of all time, definitely.

8. Manny Pacquiao - Boxing's last hope. He's the most exciting fighter we've seen the sport have since Mike Tyson. The thing about this man is that no only has he been on a tear as of late, but this decade he has also fought in some of the greatest, most exciting fights to ever take place. The man is simply incredible.

7. Peyton Manning - The rate this man is going, statistically wise... he will end up the greatest quarterback to ever live. And it's mostly because of what he's accomplished this decade. And unlike the great Dan Marino, Peyton was able to add a championship to his legacy as well, which greatly helps him in discussions such as this one.

6. Tim Duncan - 3 Championships this decade. 3 NBA Finals MVP this decade. 2 regular season MVPs this decade. Countless All-Star games and All-NBA Teams and All-Defensive Teams. The man is the greatest Power Forward of all time. Nothing else needs to be said.

5. Fedor Emelianenko - 30-1-1 this decade. That is this man's fighting record. And that one loss came by way of a BS DQ, and he would avenge that loss anyway years later. The draw was another BS situation, and one he would make for right after. Basically, the man has never been defeated this decade, rightfully. Never. Not once. In a sport like MMA, that's unbelievable.

4. Kobe Bryant - 4 championships, a NBA Finals MVP, a regular season MVP, and like Tim Duncan... countless All-Star games and All-NBA Teams and All-Defensive Teams. He is without a doubt the best closer in all of sports, and the most clutch performer currently as well.

3. Tom Brady - 3 Super Bowl Rings. 2 Super Bowl MVPs. 4 Pro Bowls. And many other awards, and also records. The man is the best quarterback in the game right now, and in my opinion... the greatest I've ever seen.

2. Roger Federer - IC listed his strong suits, and I agree with them, but I'll get to why he's second on my list next.

1. Tiger Woods - When it's all said and done, he will be the greatest golfer ever. To dominate a sport like golf is hard to begin with, but this man has done it with top competition, something Roger Federer cannot claim, which is why Tiger in on my list at #1. And it's not only that, but Tiger was able to win every major championship early on, and break records doing so. It took Federer years and years to finally win the French Open, and he had to do against someone who is out of his league. Tiger is also by LARGE the highest paid athlete in all of sports as well, and I think that counts for something. Federer is great at he does, but Tiger is worlds better at what he does.

 

[gd]

10. Albert Pujos - He's not a machine, he's just Albert. Ever since his rookie year he's been incredible. Only player ever with 30 homers in each of his first 9 seasons. He has 350 homers for his career and a .334 batting average. He's a 2 time MVP. He won a World Series in 2006. Everytime he comes up I think it's going out of the park. The best thing is that I can believe that's he's actually clean.

9. Floyd Mayweather - The best pound for pound boxer this decade. He talks a big game and backs it up to. Undefeated in the 2000s and one of the biggest boxing draws ever, especially his fight against De Le Hoya.

8. Peyton Manning - Arguably the best quaterback of my generation. A 3 time MVP and a Super Bowl Champion. I'll most remember him for his record breaking 2004 season of 49 TDs, which was just incredible at the time. He's a gutsy player and a leader who has kept the Colts in the playoffs nearly every season he's been there.

7. Tim Duncan - The best big man of the 2000s, even better than Shaq. 3 Championships in the 2000s and 4 overall, he just gets the top done. One of the most underrated players ever despite being a sure fire Hall of Famer.

6. Tom Brady - Simply but, Brady is a winner. He took over as the Patriots quaterback when he got the oppurtunity and led New England to a shocking Super Bowl victory over the Rams. He proved that he wasn't a fluke by winning 2 more titles, as well as breaking numerous passing records during the incredible 2007 season .

5. Michael Phelps - Olympics is the only thing that matter for swimmers and Phelps has been completely dominant in 2004 and 2008. He is the greatest champion of perhaps the greatest sporting event in the world. He singlehandildy made Americans care about the swimming and the Olympics last year.

4. Lance Armstrong - Another athelte who made people care about his sport. He completely dominated the Tour de France, winning 7 times in a row after fighitng off cancer. He's made a comback this year and if he did win his 8th it may be his most special yet. He's become one of the greates American atheletes of all time and has pissed off the French in the process.

3.Kobe Bryant - If you call anyone the next MJ, it would be Kobe. He is the best basketball player of the decade, no doubt. He's one multipe MVPs, scoring titles, and 4 MVPs. He is the ultimate competitor and is obsessed with winning. The man is an icon and will someday be known as a legend.

2. Roger Federer - He's already won a record 15 grand slams and the man is only 27. He is the most dominant tennis player off all time, he's been in at least the semis of almost every grand slam in the last 5 years, and won in every way imaginable. He'd be number 1 on the list if it wasn't for another incredible athelte.

1. Tiger Woods - The greates athelte of the 2000s, for sure. He is the only reason that many people wathc golf, they just want to see how Tiger is doing. 14 time Major Champion, youngest to 50 wins, and he acheived the "Tiger Slam" which spanned from 2000-2001. I put him ahead of Federer because it's much harder to win a major in golf than in tennis. If you're a great tennis player, you can probably get by the first 3 rounds playing mediocre. Tiger has to be fouces the whole tournament because it only takes 1 other guy to have a great day for Tiger to lose. All in all, he might be the most dominant athelete we'll ever see, in any sport or in any decade.

 

[NSL]

I may have to amend my list in the future, as doing this off the top of my head is bound to leave out a few people.

10. Tiger Woods - He was the most dominant man in his sport for a long time, but injuries have kept him sidelined for too many chunks of time. I wouldn't consider golf a physical sport either, so that's why he ranks so low.

9. Venus Williams - I am not a fan, but you can't deny what she's done in the sport, and for the sport. She's won tons of trophies, a lot of grand slam events, as well as dominating the doubles side with her sister. Without her, women's tennis would just be a sport to watch for pretty women in next to nothing.

8. Lance Armstrong - This man made cycling relevant in the US. His story is also an all-time great, and he's showing he still has it this year. Usually he takes until the later stages to catch up, and win, but he's doing it in the 4th stage now. He may go on to be a great athlete of the enxt 10 years too.

7. Randy Johnson - Sure, he's gotten old lately, but he's added a ton to every team that he's pitched for, and still has 2 rings this decade, as well as a co-MVP trophy. Besides his numbers, his contributions to the teams he's played for, as well as the fact that he's never been accused of steroid use, makes him a top 10 athlete.

6. LaDanian Tomlinson - This man has changed the game. He's changed the way every team uses their running backs, and has put up nothing but stellar numbers over his career. Teams need to plan to stop him, and it makes the entire team so much better. He doesn't have any rings...yet.

5. Chris Chelios - Chelios should go down as one of the all-time greatest players in the NHL, but get sno respect. He's playing well into his 40's, and has played for contenders almost every year since he started. He knows how to play the game right, and is a great role model for young players.

4. Kobe Bryant - Again, I'm not a fan of his at all, but I can't deny what he's done as an athlete, and what he's accomplished. He has more gold than almost anyone else in the league right now, and looks like he still has a long career ahead of him. He could retire now, and probably make the Hall of Fame.

3. Tim Duncan - He's among my favorites, and he is another man that just plays his sport right. He's always been a leader, and always has a great season. He has 4 rings to his credit, as well as a few MVPs, and the team is still building around him, trying to get a few more championships.

2. Peyton Manning - He's just amazing. Even when he has a bad season, his numbers are still better than most. He's also a leader unlike any other, on and off the field, and is already in the argument for greatest football player ever. He can do no wrong.

1. Albert Pujols - This is an athlete that dominates the great American past-time like no other. He's consistently a threat for the Triple Crown, and is among the best at fielding his position. He's also been "clean" for his entire career, and plays through injuries. He may be the greatest Cardinal to ever play, and will end up among the greatest ever, period.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

10 - Peyton Manning: he has been one of the top QBs in the NFL for a while now. He makes everyone on his team better and made Harrison the receiver he is. He has made the Colts a perennial playoff team and he has done it with some of the best stats ever.

9 - Tom Brady: Side by side with Manning, but more championships. He broke Manning's TD record and rejuvenated Moss's career. He has made the Patriots into the "dynasty" they have become and they wouldn't have won those championships without him.

8 - Tiger Woods: The best golfer, bar none. He had an off year because of injuries and still managed to win his share of tournaments. He is just too good for the sport. Every time he seems to be out of contention, he comes right back up to the lead. The injury also doesn't seem to be slowing him down.

7 - Sidney Crosby/Alexander Ovechkin/Evgeni Malkin: The three faces of the NHL. They are the top 3 players in the league and will be for a long time to come. It is their job to bring fans back to the NHL in the United States and it seems to be working. You'll see these names on trophies for a while so get used to it.

6 - LeBron James/Kobe Bryant: Perhaps the top players in the NBA. This was the dream match for the NBA in the Finals, but it didn't happen. James is the biggest star in the NBA right now and has put up outstanding numbers. He is the Cavaliers. Bryant is still playing at the top of his game and has just won another championship. MVP numbers almost every year and still one of the most recognizable faces in the NBA.

5 - Manny Pacquaio: Maybe not on everyone's list, but this man has taken down the best. The pound-for-pound best boxer right now. Took down Hatton easily and dominated Dela Hoya and these were all recent. A fight with Mayweather is the dream match right now and I think he should be able to take him out.

4 - Usain Bolt: The fastest man in the world. This is damn impressive and I believe more impressive (world record wise) than Phelps because running is universal. Bolt crushed the world records and left them in a time that he could beat them once again in the next summer Olympics.

3 - Michael Phelps: Passes Bolt because of the number of medals. 10 medals? Are you kidding me? He is a beast, no other way to put it. He is dominating swimming and it's hard to believe he can do it again in the next Olympics, which I think he will.

2 - Lance Armstrong: This man is an athlete in every sense of the word. He has single-handedly taken the cycling world and brought it to the mainstream. He's won 6(I think) Tour de France titles in a row and now he's looking to do it again after a short layoff. Not even cancer has slowed his man down.

1 - Roger Federer: Undoubtedly the number one choice. 15 grand slam championships and I believe 6 Wimbledons in row. He has been the best tennis player of the decade and now can be talked about as the best player ever. The loss to Nadal was just a slip up and I never thought he should of lost his #1 spot in the rankings. Federer has been the best athlete of the 00s.

 

[NSL]

I can understand people saying Federer is one of the 10 greats in tennis of this decade, but not of all sports, and not even in tennis all time. He's playing in a very weak time. He's being dominated by his top contender (Nadal), and has had fairly easy roads to the finals in his last few Grand Slams. He's a great player, but until he's playing against people with skills among the greats like Sampras, Agassi, Chang, Bjorg, and the rest, he won't be a great of all-time.

I also didn't include and boxers, because the sport is a sham now, and should be ranked that way. There's a handful of great fighters, but they're not facing each other, so there's no way to tell who's the best.

As far as random people like Bolt, Phelps, and Schumacher...I just couldn't include them. Schumacher is great, but without a solid car under him, he's useless. The other two had 1 great year. Not nearly enough to be included among the greats of the decade.

 

[Thriller Ant]

I'm going to go with a shorter list, mainly because I'm lazy.

3. Lance Armstrong: The man took cycling from that thing that all of the kids in grade school in your neighborhood love to do to a national sport. He put the sport on the map and single-handedly caused millions of people to take it up as a hobby. Not to mention what he went through before he entered the tour and then he goes on to win it 7 times?! Incredible.

2. LaDanian Tomlinson: This man changed my idea of what a running back is. I used to think of a guy who would pound it up the middle and occasionally run over some guys a get a long TD, but now, because of LDT, I think of guys who dodge tacklers and make them look bad in the process. He averages over 4 yards per carry, 1,470 yards and almost 16 touchdowns per season. And don't forget, he is probably most responsible for the phenomenon that is fantasy football.

1. Albert Pujols: This may be a bit of a homer pick, but you can't argue stats. Albert is one of the greatest players of all time. There are tons of stats I can put here, but I will only put this: Pujols is the only player in baseball history to start his career in eight consecutive seasons with a .300+ batting average, 30+ HRs, 100+ RBIs and 99+ runs scored. From 2001 through 2008, his seasonal averages in these Triple Crown categories have been .334, 40, and 122.

 

[TwistofRKO]

I'm not advocate of the steroids use, and am not a Bonds fan at all, but it's amazing how he missed everyone's list.

Just missing- Floyd Mayweather- Best at his job, but weaker competition, Ladanian Tomlinson- Most complete over decade, but wasn't best over most of decade (Faulk, Holmes, , Usian Bolt, Roger Clemens, Tiger Woods- Just hate golf, I'm sorry and Randy Moss- Bad years in Oakland hurt the overall decade

10. Randy Johnson- 3 Cy Young Awards in this decade alone, 4 if you reach a year back into 1999. 4 In. A. Row. That's incredible. Four seasons of 330+ Ks, sub 2.70 era, and two 20+ win seasons. He also reached his 300th win recently and has a World Series MVP at his side.

9. Michael Phelps- 21 Gold Medals this decade. Swept the 2008 Olympics, swept the 2007 World Championships in events competed in, and 6 Golds in the 2004 Olympics. The man is insane and completely dominated the sport.

8. Roger Federer- Not a tennis fan, but can respect what he's done. He's set the record for Grand Slam titles and Grand Slam finals appearances. He stands alone at his profession. He was dominant earlier in the decade, and is going strong here in 2009.

7. Lance Armstrong- It would take FAR too much time to list all of his accolades this decade. He accomplished much this decade, 7 years after being named World Cyclist of the year in 1993. That's impressive.

6. Peyton Manning- Super Bowl winner and Super Bowl MVP. 3 regular season MVPs (1 co-MVP w/McNair), set then-passing records, and has been statistically dominating this entire decade.

5. Barry Bonds- 4 consecutive MVPs, single-season HR record, All time HR record set, 5 Silver Sluggers, 6 All Stars- Set Base on Ball records, IBB records, led in slugging % and OBP four years in a row, and 2 batting titles. Quite frankly, I don't like Bonds, but he must be listed. The only reason he's #5 is because he's only played limited time since 2005.

4. Albert Pujols- Amazing. Pure amazing. He's hit .334 this decade, averaged 43 HRs and 130 RBI over the decade, 199 hits and 124 runs. Complete player. I could easily place him higher.

3. Kobe Bryant / Shaquille O'Neal- They both were great on the Lakers as teammates, and they both won the title on their own. Each have 4 titles, 5 appearances for Shaq and 6 for Kobe. Easily the top 2 of the entire decade.

2. Alex Rodriguez- 419 HRs this decade, 3 MVPs, 8 All Stars, 2 Gold Gloves, and 7 Silver Sluggers. Despite his steroid debacles he's always been a great pure hitter and power hitter. He's on pace to break every major offensive statistical record. Struggled in the post season with New York, but was very good with Seattle and even his first postseason with New York.

1. Tom Brady- Cream of the crop. Absolutely polarizing figure. He has 3 Super Bowl victories, 2 SB MVPs, one more appearance, has the single-season passing TD record with 50. The guy is ice cold. He doesn't get rattled, and may go down as the GOAT if he stays healthy.

 

[Hip2bsquare]

Not a fan of degrading someons achievemnets in a given era because they didnt get the chnace to play against players from another era. You can only play, compete and beat the opponents that are placed in front of you. Something that Federer has done with great success this decade. Despite the imporvement of Nadal he is still far and away the best tennis player of this decade and a lock in for the top 5 of the best athletes of the 00's, and Id have him in the top 2. 15 Grand slams in 9 years, no matter who the competition is an amazing feat. Plus who is to say that he wouldnt of beaten guys like Sampras, Agassi, Courier etc if he had played them? (Chang a great hahaha).
As for Phelps it was more than one great year. Look at his achievemnts in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, as well as the 2007 World Championships to go along with his results in Beijing. He has been an amazing swimmer and dominant for a long time now.

I always find it hard to judge top tens over a variety of sports. Especially seeing as though there are a lot of sports, for example Baseball, American Football, that I dont watch or dont have much if any idea about. So I dont like judging the greats in those sports agains guys from sports I follow, such as Basketball, Cricket, Tennis and Australian Rules Football.

I will though add some guys on nobodies list, not saying they are in the top ten atheltes of the 00's... just guys that I think ahve performd extremely well in this period.

First guy I would like to mention is the leading wicket taker in test match cricket Muttiah Muralitharan. Murali has always had a suspect action, been called for throwing in his career, and basically had the bowling rules changed to allow for hsi bowling action to be deemed 'legal. But be that as it may as still been an outstanding cricketer. Has taken 543 test match wickets at 20.14, and 328 One day international wickets at 20.20 since 2000. Thats a great record, especially given that he hasnt always had the greatest help, with the exception onf Vaas, and now Mendis, during this time.

Next is one of my favourites in the AFL, Chris Judd. Judd is still only 25 and only made his debut in 2002, yet has still achieved so much in a short time span. Has cpatained 2 clubs, the West Coast Eagles from 2006-2007 (as well as being the premiership captain) and Carlton from 2008 to the Present. Has a premiership medal, Norm Smith medal (Best on ground in the GF) , a Brownlow Medal (Best & Fairest in the AFL) club Champion twice, three times All Australian. As well as producing many game changing plays and moments. Not in the top 10 but a great athlete in Australias National Sport.

The last id like to mention is Valentino Rossi. If Schumacher is named in this thread there is no reason that Rossi cant. Has basically dominated MotoGp this decade, except luls in 2006 and 2007 when he finished 2nd and 3rd overall. Has won many many races, despite the gaps between some of the better teams shortening.

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

Nice thread.

10. Chris Judd (AFL)
This AFL superstar burst onto the scene in 2002 for the West Coast Eagles as draft pick #3 and proceeded to make his mark on the sport. He is now considered one of the best players today and also helped the Eagles get a premiership in 2006. Whilst with the Eagles he won the Brownlow Medal in 2004 and the Norm Smith Medal in 2005. He captained West Coast for 2006 and 2007 before moving to Carlton. With Carlton he has helped the younger guys and has become an integral part to The Blues' midfield.

9. Ricky Ponting (Cricket)
Ricky has had an amazing decade in cricket. He is now the captain of the Australian Cricket team and has led the team to a record 122 ODI victories and 2 world cup victories. He has won the Allan Border medal a record 4 times in 2004, 2006, 2007 and shared it with VC Michael Clark in 2009. The man is a cricket genious and has a keen mind for the game. He is also Tasmanian which makes me quite proud originally being from there.

8. Kobe Bryant (Basketball)
Kobe is said to be the best player ever. This is a big call considering the likes of Jordan and O'Neill but to be honest he's up there and is most definatley the player of this decade. He is a 4x NBA champion (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2009) and has won an Olympic Gold Medal for his efforts in the 2008 Beijing Games.

7. Michael Phelps (Swimming)
This guy is a tank in the pool. I would have loved it if Thorpe had kept swimming so we could have seen them go head to head at the top of their careers but alas Thorpe quit so Phelps has now taken up the helm as the worlds fastest swimmer. He won 6 Gold and 2 Bronze Medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 8 Gold Medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics winning all of his events. The guy is a machine.

6. Shane Warne (Cricket)
This man is a cricketing legend and although his record has been beaten he is still the worlds best spin bowler IMO. This guy could completely change a match with one ball. His spin was off putting, hard to predict and the ball could almost move on its own. He may have been a bit of a tool sometimes off the field but hey, he's Australian and we love our fun. I just loved the fact that he could smoke, drink, eat baked beans and still stun the world with his bowling. The man is a legend!

5. Rafael Nadal (Tennis)
He is currently the world #1 in his sport finally surpassing Federer (which is no small feat) and he's only 23! He has won 6 Grand Slams (Wimbledon in 2008, French in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and the Aussie Open in 2009) and won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2008 at the Beijing Games. He has loads left in his career and he only seems to be getting more and more confident in his abilities. He's also a humble champion which I like and now has a hold over Federer which no one has been able to accomplish.

4. Ronaldinho (Football/Soccer)
Haha, what a legend. He always has a smile on his face wether he makes a mistake (rarely) or kicks a sick goal. He has been my favourite player to watch for a while now (Messi is getting close though) and has always been an integral part to Brazil's International team. He also held the midfield for Barcelona, one of Spain's most dominate teams. He was apart of Brazil's 2002 World Cup win and was FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005 & 2006.

3. Tiger Woods (Golf)
This guy has dominated Golf for a while now and has won countless championships. I'm not really into Golf so am not totally on top of his achievements but his name status alone is enough to put him this high. He has completely changed the face of Golf for younger guys and seems like a really good bloke. He still continues to win and win and win.

2. Roger Federer (Tennis)
He's won 15 Grand Slams and has been the 'one' to beat in tennis for most of this decade. He won his first GS in 2003 at Wimbledon and went on to be the longest running #1 for 237 weeks. He was virtually unbeatable for so long until Nadal came along (which I'm stoked about). He has now passed Sampras's record of most GS's won and Sampras has even let it known that he see's Fed as the best player ever.

1. Lance Armstrong (Cycling)
I'm sorry but IMO there is hardly a tougher sport/event than the Tour De France and he won 7 in row from 1999 to 2005. He is currently participating in it again and looks to be just as strong as he was narrowly missing the yellow jersey in the 4th stage. He came back from cancer to win 7.... 7! Tours and continues to be an insperation to sportsman all over the world and for this reason I had to put him at #1, how can you go past him!?