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Rankings & Lists

Greatest British Sports Stars of All Time

The greatest British and Irish athletes across all sports and eras — from Victorian-age cricketers and bareknuckle boxers to modern Grand Slam champions, Olympic gold medallists and World Cup winners.

50Athletes Ranked

The greatest British and Irish athletes across all sports and eras — from Victorian-age cricketers and bareknuckle boxers to modern Grand Slam champions, Olympic gold medallists and World Cup winners.

Methodology: Ranked by world-class achievement in their sport: world titles, Olympic gold and Grand Slam wins. Contribution to British sporting culture, iconic moments and the lasting influence each athlete had on their sport are secondary factors.

Top 10

1
SL

British·Formula 1

Sir Lewis Hamilton

British Formula 1 driver and joint record seven-time World Champion who holds outright records for career wins (103), pole positions (104),

7× World Champion · 106 race wins

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2
AM

British·Tennis

Andy Murray

Andy Murray is a British former professional tennis player, a three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist who led Grea

3 Grand Slams · 41 weeks at No.1

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3
GB

Northern Irish·Football

George Best

Manchester United's mercurial genius — European Footballer of the Year 1968 and arguably the most naturally gifted British player of all tim

179 career goals · 9 international goals

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4
DT

British·Athletics

Daley Thompson

Greatest decathlete ever, back-to-back Olympic champion.

2 Olympic golds · 1 world titles

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5
SC

British·Athletics

Sebastian Coe

Double Olympic 1500m champion, former world record holder.

2 Olympic golds · 2 world records

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6
JE

British·Athletics

Jessica Ennis-Hill

2012 Olympic champion and three-time world champion heptathlete.

1 Olympic golds · 3 world titles

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7
SM

British/Somali·Athletics

Sir Mo Farah

Olympic 5000m/10000m double-double champion.

4 Olympic golds · 6 world titles

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8
SC

British (Scottish)·Cycling

Sir Chris Hoy

The most successful track sprinter in Olympic history at his retirement, winning gold across sprint, team sprint, and keirin events.

Olympic gold 2004 (1km TT), 2008 (sprint, team sprint, keirin), 2012 (team sprint, keirin)

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9
SB

British·Cycling

Sir Bradley Wiggins

A dual road/track specialist who won the 2012 Tour de France and Olympic time trial gold in the same year, and holds a record eight Olympic

1× Tour de France · 1 grand tour wins

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10
NF

English·Golf

Nick Faldo

English golfer who won six major championships and spent 97 weeks as world No.1.

6 majors · 43 tour wins

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11–25

11
IB

English·Cricket

Ian Botham

English all-rounder whose all-round heroics in the 1981 Ashes made him a national sporting icon.

5200 Test runs · 33.54 Test avg

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12
RM

Northern Irish·Golf

Rory McIlroy

A dominant multiple major champion from Northern Ireland, McIlroy became the sixth man ever to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the

5 majors · 27 tour wins

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13
RH

British·Boxing

Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton was a British boxer who became a unified light-welterweight and welterweight world champion known for his massive fanbase.

45-3-0 · 4 world titles

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14
JC

Welsh·Boxing

Joe Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe is a Welsh former professional boxer who retired undefeated after unifying three of the four major super middleweight titles.

46-0-0 · 2 world titles

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15
LL

British/Canadian·Boxing

Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis was a British-Canadian heavyweight who became a three-time world champion and undisputed heavyweight champion, retiring undefea

41-2-1 · 3 world titles

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16
JW

English·Rugby Union

Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson is an English fly-half immortalized for kicking the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, England's record po

91 caps · 6 tries

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17
GE

Welsh·Rugby Union

Gareth Edwards

Gareth Edwards is widely regarded as the greatest rugby union player of all time, a scrum-half who starred for Wales and the Lions through t

53 caps · 20 tries

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18
SJ

Scottish·Formula 1

Sir Jackie Stewart

Three world championships and the man who transformed F1 safety — Sir Jackie Stewart saved countless lives through his relentless safety cam

3× World Champion · 27 race wins

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19
JC

Scottish·Formula 1

Jim Clark

Scottish Formula 1 driver who won two World Championships (1963, 1965) and 25 Grands Prix from 72 starts, including the 1965 Indianapolis 50

2× World Champion · 25 race wins

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20
KD

Scottish·Football

Kenny Dalglish

One of football's greatest ever forwards and managers — King Kenny who won six league titles with Liverpool as player and manager.

229 career goals · 30 international goals

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21
GL

English·Football

Gary Lineker

England's third-highest goalscorer and 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner, renowned for his clinical finishing and sportsmanship.

238 career goals · 48 international goals

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22
SA

Scottish·Football

Sir Alex Ferguson

The most successful manager in British football history — 38 trophies with Manchester United including 13 Premier League titles and 2 Champi

171 career goals

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23
SS

British·Rowing

Sir Steve Redgrave

British rowing legend who won five consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1984-2000, making him one of Britain's greatest Olympians of all tim

5 Olympic golds · 6 Olympic medals

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24
GR

British·Horse Racing

Gordon Richards

English flat racing jockey and the only one ever knighted, who was champion jockey a record 26 times and remains the most successful rider i

4870 wins · 26× champion

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25
PT

English·Darts

Phil Taylor

Nicknamed "The Power," Taylor dominated darts for three decades, winning a record 16 World Championships and dozens of major titles, and is

16× World Champion · 87 majors

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26–50

26
LP

English·Horse Racing

Lester Piggott

English jockey who rode a record nine Epsom Derby winners between 1954 and 1983 and accumulated 4,493 British Flat wins across a career span

4493 wins · 30 classics

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27
AM

Northern Irish·Horse Racing

AP McCoy

Northern Irish jump jockey who became the most successful National Hunt jockey in history with over 4,300 career winners and 20 consecutive

4358 wins · 20× champion

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28
PE

British/Irish·Horse Racing

Pat Eddery

Irish-born British flat racing jockey who became one of the most successful jockeys in history with over 4,600 career wins including 14 Brit

4632 wins · 14 classics

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29
AO

Irish·Horse Racing

Aidan O'Brien

Irish thoroughbred trainer who has recorded over 400 Group 1 victories including a record six consecutive Epsom Derby wins from 2015 to 2020

4000 wins · 34 classics

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30
WC

Scottish·Horse Racing

Willie Carson

Scottish jockey who became one of Britain's greatest flat racing riders, winning the Derby four times and Champion Jockey title five times.

3828 wins · 17 classics

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31
FD

Italian/British·Horse Racing

Frankie Dettori

Italian-British jockey who won all seven races at Ascot on 28 September 1996 — the Magnificent Seven — and has accumulated over 3,000 career

3345 wins · 23 classics

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32
RM

British·Horse Racing

Ryan Moore

British flat racing jockey born 1983, two-time Champion Flat Jockey who won multiple Classics including two Epsom Derbies and the Prix de l'

3300 wins · 17 classics

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33
RO

British·Snooker

Ronnie O'Sullivan

British snooker player widely regarded as the greatest of all time, known for his natural talent, attacking style and record seven World Cha

7× World Champion · 41 ranking titles

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34
RW

Irish·Horse Racing

Ruby Walsh

Irish champion jockey who dominated National Hunt racing with a record 59 Cheltenham Festival wins and multiple championship titles before r

2756 wins · 12× champion

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35
KF

Irish·Horse Racing

Kieren Fallon

Irish champion jockey who dominated British flat racing in the 2000s, winning six Champion Jockey titles and three Epsom Derby victories.

2253 wins · 16 classics

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36
BB

British/Welsh·Rugby League

Billy Boston

The greatest winger in rugby league history — Billy Boston's 571 tries for Wigan are a club record and his pace and power were extraordinary

31 caps · 478 tries

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37
SH

Scottish·Snooker

Stephen Hendry

Scottish professional snooker player who holds the record of seven World Championship titles in the modern era and amassed 36 ranking event

7× World Champion · 36 ranking titles

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38
RJ

British·Horse Racing

Richard Johnson

Four-time Champion Jockey and the most loyal number two in sport — Johnson spent 16 years as runner-up to Tony McCoy before claiming his own

3818 wins · 4× champion

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39
MO

English·Rugby League

Martin Offiah

English rugby league winger widely regarded as one of the fastest players ever, known for spectacular tries and record-breaking try-scoring

38 caps · 446 tries

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40
SH

British·Horse Racing

Sir Henry Cecil

The greatest flat racing trainer in British history — 10 Champion Trainer titles and the man who brought Frankel to the world.

25 classics · 10× champion

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41
EH

British·Rugby League

Ellery Hanley

British rugby league legend, captain of Great Britain, regarded as one of the greatest players ever with exceptional leadership and versatil

38 caps · 409 tries

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42
WM

Irish·Horse Racing

Willie Mullins

Irish racehorse trainer, one of the most successful National Hunt trainers in history with multiple Cheltenham Festival records and Champion

21× champion

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43
JH

Scottish·Snooker

John Higgins

Scottish professional snooker player who won four World Championship titles (1998, 2009, 2010, 2018) across three different decades, a span

4× World Champion · 33 ranking titles

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44
MS

Barbadian-British·Horse Racing

Michael Stoute

Barbadian-born British trainer who won ten British championships and six Epsom Derbies over a 52-year career, most famously with the record-

16 classics · 10× champion

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45
MK

Irish·Horse Racing

Mick Kinane

Irish jockey who rode three Epsom Derby winners, won 16 British Classics in total, and partnered Sea The Stars to an unbeaten 2009 campaign

10 classics · 13× champion

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46
GS

British·Rugby League

Garry Schofield

The most talented rugby league player produced by Britain in the 1980s — 46 Great Britain caps and the most complete British back of his era

49 caps · 323 tries

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47
RE

British·Snooker

Reanne Evans

British professional snooker player, 12-time Women's World Champion and trailblazer who became the first woman to compete in the UK Champion

12× World Champion

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48
SD

British·Snooker

Steve Davis

British snooker player who dominated the sport in the 1980s, winning six World Championships and helping popularize snooker during its golde

6× World Champion · 28 ranking titles

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49
JR

British·Motorsport

Jonathan Rea

British motorcycle racer and six-time World Superbike Championship winner, holding the record for most WSBK wins with over 100 race victorie

6× World Champion · 119 race wins

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50
MS

English·Snooker

Mark Selby

English professional snooker player, four-time World Champion and former world number one, known for his tactical gameplay and mental streng

4× World Champion · 24 ranking titles

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