The 10 best sports stars of the decade
Usain Bolt, Novak Djokovic, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? Which one would you have as the best sportsperson of the last 10 years? See Jon Anderson’s full list of incredible athletes.
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Choosing the finest sportsperson of the past decade clearly comes down to your individual sporting preferences, such as Usain Bolt and athletics through to a pair of soccer superstars in Ronaldo and Messi.
Lovers of motorsport may prefer the freakish Marc Marquez, or Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton who remains on target to break every available record. And then there’s US gymnast Simone Biles, the 142cm superstar regarded by some as the finest in history but someone I haven’t found room for in my top 10.
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BEST OF THE WORLD (2010-19)
1. USAIN BOLT (Jamaica, athletics)
Six Olympic gold medals (three in London in 2012, three in Rio in 2016) and eight World Championship golds before his final international race, which resulted in Bolt tearing his hamstring when running the final leg of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay. You could argue that Bolt’s peak work in terms of the 100m-200m world records were set before the decade began, but his dominance remained at extreme levels.
2. NOVAK DJOKOVIC (Serbia, tennis)
His great rivals in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal stretch back to the first decade of the 2000s, but Djokovic has completely dominated the last 10 years, winning 15 of the 39 Grand Slams he’s played, and reaching 23 Grand Slam finals. Since reaching number one on July 4, 2011, Djokovic has spent 275 weeks in that slot, third behind Federer (310) and Pete Sampras (286).
3. CRISTIANO RONALDO (Portugal, soccer)
You can toss a coin as to Ronaldo or Messi. I went with the Portuguese prima donna given he led his national side to the 2016 European Championship title. In terms of Ballon d’Ors for the best player in the world, Ronaldo won four (2013-14-16-17) in the past decade and finished second four times, three of them to Messi. While with Real Madrid, his goal scoring average exceeded an extraordinary goal a game.
4. LIONEL MESSI (Argentina, soccer)
If you mention Ronaldo, you must mention his great rival. Some see Messi as more team orientated. The only knock on his greatness is the lack of a major win with his country. He’s won five Ballon d’Ors since 2010 and finished second four times. If only Argentina could have won the 2014 World Cup when beaten 1-0 by Germany.
5. TOM BRADY (US, Gridiron)
If this was US-centric, then Brady, basketballer LeBron James and baseballer Mike Trout might just be vying for numero uno. The 42-year-old Brady, who was taken by the New England Patriots with pick 199 in the 2000 NFL draft, led the Patriots to four Superbowl wins in the decade, including two MVPs plus two NFL MVPs in 2010 and 2017.
6. LEBRON JAMES (US, basketball)
The best all-round player of his era, and one who won NBA championships in 2012-13 and 2016, plus being named finals MVP in the same years. James was an All-Star in every season between 2010-19 and the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 2012 and 2016. The ultimate honour is the regular debate as to where sits when compared with Michael Jordan.
7. MIKE TROUT (US, baseball)
Has a low profile in Australia, as distinct from the US where there are already calls suggesting the “Millville Meteor” is on his way to becoming the greatest of all-time. He is already an eight-time MLB All-Star, a three-time American League MVP in 2014, 2016, and 2019, while finishing second in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018. Hence his $426 million contracts over 12 years with the Los Angeles Angels.
8: SERENA WILLIAMS (US, tennis)
Her peak years of 2012-15, when she won eight Grand Slams from 13 attempts, all came after she had turned 30. Her 319 weeks at number one has only been surpassed by Steffi Graf (377) and Martina Navratilova (332). The only “knock” on Williams has been her inability to win another Grand Slam (despite making four finals) after returning from giving birth.
9. FLOYD MAYWEATHER (US, Boxing)
This defensive master fought 10 times in the decade, include bouts with Saul Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao, remaining undefeated before his retirement with a record of 50-0. He may have lacked the explosive hitting of Thomas Hearns, the charisma of Muhammad Ali or the speed of Sugar Ray Leonard, but the overall package places him among the absolute cream.
10. MARC MARQUEZ (Spain, MotoGP)
This choice came down to the Spanish superstar on two wheels or F1 whiz Lewis Hamilton. For mine Marquez is superior because he relies less on his equipment. In the past decade he has won eight world championships, the 2010 125cc, the 2012 Moto2 and the 2013-14-16-17-18-19 MotoGP World Championships.
Originally published as The 10 best sports stars of the decade