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It's a cliche, but sports makes the world a better place. The raw emotions, the excitement, the joy of winning, the comfort of shared distress and sheer acknowledgement of human achievement can bring people together in a way nothing else can.
As such, athletes and sportspeople are some of the most popular individuals on the planet. There are also a wide variety of sports that are followed extensively by people all across the globe. Each sport has that one player whose popularity is simply greater than that of the rest of his peers.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the most popular athletes in the 5 most famous sports in the world.
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#5 Tennis - Rafael Nadal
A couple of months earlier, this would have been a tie. Now that Roger Federer has called it a day on his legendary career, Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly the most popular tennis player on the planet.
Nadal has held the world no.1 ranking for 209 weeks in his career. Currently ranked number 2, the Spaniard is one of the most decorated players in the history of tennis. He has won a record 22 Grand Slam men's single titles in his careers.
That includes 14 French Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, two Australian Open titles and four US Open titles. Additionally, Nadal has also emerged as the champion at 92 ATP singles tournaments.
The 36-year-old also holds the distinction of being one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles.
#4 Basketball - LeBron James
'King James' is one of the GOATs of Basketball. The 37-year-old plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA and is one of the most popular athletes in the world. He has earned comparisons to the great Michael Jordan and is definitely in the conversation of the greatest basketball players of all time.
James has picked up four NBA championships, four NBA MBP awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards and three All-Star MVP Awards. He has also won two Olympic Gold Medals with the US national team.
James makes waves everywhere he goes and is also a social activist. He has dominated the sport for over a decade now and is undoubtedly the most popular basketball player on the planet.
#3 American Football - Tom Brady
Legendary quarterback Tom Brady is by far the most popular American Football player in the world right now. He currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League. Brady spent the first 20 seasons of his NFL Career with the New England Patriots.
Brady was arguably the Patriots' most important player as they ruled the roost from 2001 to 2019. The 45-year-old is widely considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time.
Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP and three-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
#2 Cricket - Virat Kohli
After enduring a slump in form for around two years, 'King Kohli' seems to be well and truly back. The Indian bastmen played a legendary knock in their recent dramatic victory over Pakistan in the group stages of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
Kohli is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He is a former captain of the Indian national cricket team. Kohli holds the record for being the fastest player to reach 23,000 career runs in international cricket.
He was named the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade (2011-20). He was also named the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2017. Kohli has also won the ICC Test Player of the Year Award once and the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award thrice.
#1 Football - Cristiano Ronaldo
Football is the most widely followed sport on the planet. Cristiano Ronaldo is the most widely followed athlete in the world. The Portuguese icon has won five Ballon d'Or awards. While the Lionel Messi-Ronaldo debate over who the GOAT of football might be might never end, there is no doubt over who the most popular one is.
Ronaldo is the most followed individual on Instagram. He has 491 million followers on the social media platform. Everything Ronaldo does is news. He is 37-years-old now and is currently playing for Manchester United.
He has won three Premier League titles, five Champions League titles, two Serie A titles, one UEFA European Championship and one UEFA Nations League title among others. Ronaldo is arguably the most popular athlete in the world right now.
