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The Greatest Ever


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After seeing the thread asking for the 5 greatest English players i was just wondering who people thought was the greatest sportsman ever?

 

For me it has to be George Best, not only the greatest player to grace God's green earth he is also a Manchester United legend and is from Northern Ireland and our wee country doesn't get much to shout about.

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Difficult one this - As a fan of the noble art I would obviously have to say Mohammed Ali due to not only his obvious skill but his character and charisma etc. Never saw him in action (way too young :D) but of the modern day fighters I've gotta go for Joe Calzaghe - saw him once in Cardiff and his speed and strength was something to behold but he's also a brainy fighter (can't dance to save his life though)!!

 

For what it's worth my top 5 are (based on my sports)

 

1 M Ali

2 E Cantona

3 R Giggs

4 I Botham

5 J Calzaghe

 

Could go on for hours about some sportsmen and women - I think alot depends on the sport(s) you like and although I'm not a cycling fan I think Lance Armstrong also deserves a mention for his strength and durability

 

p.s And if you can't tell from the above yes I am a Manchester United fan (and don't come from Manchester):P

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After seeing the thread asking for the 5 greatest English players i was just wondering who people thought was the greatest sportsman ever?

 

For me it has to be George Best, not only the greatest player to grace God's green earth he is also a Manchester United legend and is from Northern Ireland and our wee country doesn't get much to shout about.

 

How can the greatest ever be a wife beating alcoholic who wasn't even the greatest in his sport?

 

The greatest ever for me (though it is a very broad term) is Muhammed Ali for the simple fact his greatness transcends the sporting arena.

 

If you are asking who is the most dominant within their sport I'm going to say ... Phil "The Power" Taylor. Not the most athletic sport in the world but still a sport by definition and that man dominates it like nothing we've ever seen.

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How can the greatest ever be a wife beating alcoholic who wasn't even the greatest in his sport?

 

What happened in his personal life has nothing to do with what he done on the pitch, at the time he changed the game. It is just my opinion like Ali was yours, that man was no saint outside the ring either.

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What happened in his personal life has nothing to do with what he done on the pitch, at the time he changed the game. It is just my opinion like Ali was yours, that man was no saint outside the ring either.

 

I think they are slightly different but rather than get in to the personal life let's look at it from a purely footballing perspective.

 

Far too often "greatness" is claimed on behalf of others for people who did not achieve anything like enough to realistically be compared to those who the world unanimously agree upon.

 

Liverpool fans are guilty of this with Fowler but certainly not Dalglish who is probably the most underrated of all the greats or at least one of them. Even Best himself said of Dalglish that while Di Stefano was his favourite player the greatest compliment he could pay to Kenny was that he was as good.

 

No matter. The fact is that Pele and Maradona were both and will always be considered greater than Best and they are not the only ones. There's a huge list.

 

If you are talking about naturally talented players then Best is no doubt on that list. Outrageously gifted but his greatness arguement falls down simply on what he did with that talent, or more to the point what he didn't.

 

Greatness should not be mistaken with myth, legend and hyperbole. Best was special but he has no claim whatsoever to the greatest player in the world of Football let alone the world.

 

I hope you don't think this is just because I am a Liverpool fan because I can assure you it isn't. I am constantly sticking up for the likes of Beckham, Keane, Scholes and Giggs to name but a few, the reason? Unlike Best they all made the most of their ability and became amoung the best players in the world and that is something that is not opinion, but fact. Those four are the most balanced and talented midfield I have ever seen in my lifetime and I include Real's Galactico's in that.

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I hope you don't think this is just because I am a Liverpool fan because I can assure you it isn't. I am constantly sticking up for the likes of Beckham, Keane, Scholes and Giggs to name but a few

 

you better hope your mates dont see that, you'll be lynched:lol:

 

It's probably more a Northern Ireland thing, we don't have many heros to shout about :)

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The greatest ever for me (though it is a very broad term) is Muhammed Ali for the simple fact his greatness transcends the sporting arena.

 

Muhammad Ali isn't even the greatest heavyweight of all time :lol: (Joe Louis has a safe grip on that mantle for the foreseeable future)

 

Ali may have grown up to be a great man, but the way he treated Joe Frazier was despicable, deplorable, detestable . . .

 

I don't get how Ali is continually exempt from abuse -- while Malcolm X is chastised for doing the same thing. He turned Black America against Joe Frazier at a time when racial tension was at an extremely high level. His kids were bullied in school, because 'The Greatest' thought it would be a good idea to bring race into a boxing fight between two black men.

 

I don't blame Frazier for still being bitter about it all; he did so much for Ali, yet got nothing at all in return.

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Surely there must be a word for Sir Steve Redgrave, 5 olympic golds at different games a quite extraordinary achievement. Imagine if an England player had won 3 world cup medals in a row, he would be constantly talked about. Don't get me wrong I am a big football fan but achievements in minority sports do not get the recognition they deserve.

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