Lionel Messi ranked 7th, behind two football icons, as popular media group names 15 most famous athletes of all time
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi was named as the seventh biggest icon in sporting history by British sports media, GiveMeSport. However, only two footballers were ranked ahead of him in the rankings: Argentina and Brazil icons, Diego Maradona and Pele, respectively.
Messi fans must've been delighted to see that his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo didn't make the top 10. However, it must have also been strange to see the seven-time Ballon d'Or only take up seventh place in the list.
The 36-year-old Messi is widely considered the greatest player of all time, cementing his legacy as one following his historic FIFA World Cup triumph with the Albiceleste last December. Having now won every possible major trophy for club and country, Messi has completed football, boasting a record unlike anyone else.
However, his compartiot, Maradona, was named the biggest icon in sporting history. The late Argentine forward guided Argentina to the World Cup in 1986. GiveMeSport justified his ranking:
“Defending that Maradona is the most popular athlete in all of history is not that difficult. His scoring record does not come close to that of Messi, Ronaldo or Pelé, with 338 goals in just over 600 games. But if we incorporate the traditional eye test, Maradona is the king."
In second place of the ranking was basketball legend Michael Jordan, followed by another late World Cup-winning great, Pele, the only other footballer ranked ahead of Messi.
Babe Ruth is widely considered the greatest baseball player of all time, but his inclusion ahead of Messi should also raise eyebrows. He's in fourth place, with basketball star Larry Bird and tennis legend Roger Federer in fifth and sixth places in the list respectively.
GiveMeSport gave the following discription of Lionel Messi in their rankings:
“A seven-time Ballon d'Or winner with Barcelona and a 12-time league title winner with Blaugrana and PSG, he has won it all. His leadership role in Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar has arguably placed him ahead of Ronaldo and emulated the achievements of the great DIEGO MARADONA.
"With 1,032 games to his credit and 814 goals, Messi is now showing his talent in the United States with Inter Miami: he recently won the Leagues Cup and scored 10 goals in just seven games."
Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, Australia's cricketing legend late Sir Donald Bradman and basketball star LeBron James are the other athletes in the top 10.
Messi left PSG on a free transfer to join MLS side Inter Miami this summer. He has bagged 11 goals and three assists in nine games across competitions.
Lionel Messi is the number one for many fans around the world
While Diego Maradona and Pele are among the all-time greats, Lionel Messi's position, though, will be disputed by his fans, who feel he's the greatest of all time.
Rightfully so, as the former Barcelona ace has accomplished incredible things in his career, like setting amazing records, scoring a ridiculous number of goals and winning numerous trophies.
Pele and Maradona's stats don't match up to Lionel Messi's, for all their glory. The case of a lack of World Cup doesn't count anymore either, as Messi finally lifted the golden trophy last year, joining a host of icons to have won the ultimate prize in football.
For many, Lionel Messi will go down in history as the greatest footballer of all time.