Who are the best athletes, in all sports, since the early 2000s? This is the thorny question that ESPN tried to answer. To achieve this, the American sports television channel has produced a ranking that is unlikely to be unanimous.
The media founded in 1979 was based on ” experts » of different sports as well as over 70,000 votes to achieve the latter. In this little game, it is the swimmer Michael Phelps who comes in first position. An American athlete who is far from being the only one since there are… 56 of the same nationality in this ranking.
Zidane 50th in the ranking of the best athletes of the 21st century
American tennis player Serena Williams comes in second. Footballer Lionel Messi completes the podium. Regarding the sport with the little yellow ball, note that ESPN places Roger Federer (6th), ahead of his historic rivals Novak Djokovic (11th) and Rafael Nadal (12th).
In terms of football, Zinedine Zidane only appears in fiftieth position. The 1998 Ballon d’Or winner is even overtaken by his compatriots Thierry Henry (48th) and Kylian Mbappé (65th). The former French playmaker is also behind two legends of women’s football: Aitana Bonmati and Marta.
