World football superstar Lionel Messi was chosen as the best athlete of the 21st century.
In the prestigious world ranking published by the famous Canadian newspaper Le Journal de Quebec, Messi won the first place and was followed by famous stars of all sports.
This list was compiled to mark the completion of the first twenty-five years of the 21st century, featuring 25 great players from various sports.
In this list, American football legend Tom Brady was second after Messi and American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most successful athlete in Olympic history, was in third place.
Female tennis player Serena Williams was fourth, fastest man Usain Bolt was fifth and basketball star LeBron James was sixth.
Messi’s long-time rival and Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo ranked 10th in the list. Novak Djokovic, Simone Biles and the late Kobe Bryant were placed before him.
The list includes other big names in sports, including Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Stephen Curry, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Shohei Ohtani and Marta.
Remember that Lionel Messi is currently the captain of the American club Inter Miami and the national team of Argentina. He fulfilled the biggest dream of his career by winning the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Messi also won Inter Miami their first Major League Soccer championship this month. During this time, he was also awarded Golden Boot and MVP awards.
In club football, Messi won La Liga 10 times with Barcelona and the UEFA Champions League 4 times, while also achieving notable success with Paris Saint-Germain.
His outstanding and consistent performances have made him one of the biggest names in modern football. Messi’s contract with Inter Miami runs until 2028.
