Ali dubbed himself "The Greatest" and no one can really challenge him for that title. His famous quote of "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" will forever live on in boxing history.
2) Pele – football
‘Pele’ is widely regarded as the greatest footballer ever to have played the game. During his illustrious career he became known as the ‘King of Football’ and remains the all-time top scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team.
3) Tiger Woods – golf
Quite simply the best golfer ever. His talent evident from a ridiculously young age. He once shot a round of 48 over nine holes (that's between 5 and 6 strokes a hole). That's rubbish you shout! Until you realise he did it age 3! At age 26 now he is the youngest player ever to win all 5 major tournaments and surely has more to give.
4) Carl Lewis – athletics
In a career that spanned 17 years, Lewis won 9 Olympic gold medals and 8 World Championship gold medals. His lifetime of accomplishments have seen him voted as "Sportsman of the century" and "Olympian of the Century".
5) Michael Jordan – basketball
Jordon was more than just a sportsman, (no not talking about the movie career). Easily the first person that comes to mind when basketball is mentioned. He won 6 MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards in his career and has the highest points per game average in NBA history.
6) Billie Jean King – tennis
She became one of the greatest tennis players to have graced a court. During her career she won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
7) Olga Korbut – gymnastics
The gymnast who pratically revolutionised her sport when she came in as a last minute replacement for an injured team mate at the 1972 Munich Olympics at the age of 17. She won both the beam and the floor and helped her team to gold in the team event. She led the way for a new generation of gymnasts of a smaller and more acrobatic ilk.
8) Lance Armstrong – cycling
Armstrong won the Tour De France for a record breaking seven consecutive times. Not to mention, he also survived testicular cancer.
9) Michael Schumacher – racing
According to the official Formula 1 site, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen" and few could argue with that, winning five consecutive championships with Ferrari.
10) Kelly Slater – surfing
A 9 time surfing world champion including 5 consecutive titles, put Slater in the elite of his sport. Not to mention he is also the youngest (at age 20) and the oldest (at age 36) to win the ASP title.
