US TV Has Ranked The Top Five Sporting GOATs in Controversial List

A top five list of the greatest athletes of all time has sparked plenty of debate after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were left out of the conversation.

It will forever be one of the most debated topics. Who is the greatest of all time across all sports?

From a football perspective, many will side with either Lionel Messi, who has eight Ballon d'Ors and six European golden boots to his name, or Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the record for most international goals of all time.

However, American TV personality and boxing commentator Max Kellerman decided to snub them both as he named his top five GOATs in a segment on ESPN.

Kellerman also opted against popular picks Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps as he placed 23-time major champion Serena Williams in fifth place.

"At number five it is Serena Williams. Look, she's got more Grand Slams than anyone in history, male or female, and was more dominant in her era, in the open era, than any other player, male or female," he said back in 2023.

Messi and Ronaldo missed out on Kellerman's top five list. Image credit: Getty

Kellerman proceeded to name the rest of his much-talked-about list.

"At number four, the answer to a question that never had an answer before: when you said who's the GOAT in football, greatest of all time," he began. "There was never an answer before Tom Brady became the unanimous selection.

"At number three — yeah, I'm going back a hundred years — but I don't have all the athletes from now or when I was a kid or any given era. You're going back now, you may want to make a point about one thing: Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter of all time till Barry Bonds jumped on the stuff, and the greatest lefty pitcher of his era, and the greatest clutch pitcher of all time.

"For like 30 or 40 years he was the best World Series pitcher ever. So good luck catching that. He also basically invented modern baseball.

"At number two, the greatest of all time: Muhammad Ali. Now, Sugar Ray Robinson was better pound for pound, but boxing goes according to weight classes.

"Ali would have kicked Ray Robinson's butt in an actual fight. Muhammad Ali in the ring was the greatest heavyweight ever, and outside the arena of competition, he was larger than life. His impact is still ongoing.

"And at number one: Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan from his third season on was pretty obviously the greatest player who ever lived."

Kellerman added: "He ran the fastest, jumped the highest, dunked the best — all those things — but he also put up the best numbers.

"Oh, and by the way, he won the most. This whole thing where he had to learn to win championships… the first time he played with another all-star, he basically never again didn't win the championship in another seven-game series."

Here's how fans on social media reacted to Kellerman's list.

One said: "Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi really need to get their respect in American media," while another commented: "Y’all really sleeping on Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps smh."

A third wrote: In terms of impact I think Muhammad Ali goes above MJ. For so many different reasons."

A fourth said: "How is Tiger Woods not in there most wins and he literally changed tournament golf," and a fifth added: "This list is americans. There are other greater athletes outside american sports. To me the greatest athlete is Usain Bolt. He dominated and shattered world records for a decade."