5 iconic sporting pairs who are always discussed together

Good things always come in pairs, and it appears that axiom extends to sportsmen. Some of the biggest icons in sport have held one of their rivals in high regard, and admitted to being spurred on to greater heights by that rivalry.

Here’s a look at 5 such rivalries:

Sachin Tendulkar – Brian Lara

The two are frequently spoken of as among the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. While Sachin outdoes Lara in terms of sheer statistics and is ahead on runs in both test and one-day cricket, the two are still considered among the greatest in the game.

"It’s always been a joy to play against him. I loved watching Brian scoring runs against other nations, not India," Tendulkar said.

One right-handed (Tendulkar) – and the other left-handed, the pair have always drawn comparisons to one another for their sheer firepower. While Tendulkar retired a few years after Lara did, and continued to play other forms of cricket until recent years.

Could sheer runs be enough to compare the two? While Tendulkar has played big games, Lara’s knocks have been unprecedented. The Trinidadian ace hit two centuries and two double-centuries in his last year of Test match cricket, 2007.

Lara never played in T20s – so it’s impossible to know how he might have fared in that format. There are several parameters to judge the two by, but any comparison might well be unfair for these two sporting greats, who have long displayed a mutual respect that has endured even after their respective retirements.

Roger Federer – Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer was present at the inauguration of close friend Nadal’s tennis academy in Spain last year

The pair have a 35-match rivalry that is significantly tilted in favour of Nadal, but Federer took the latest victory – at the finals of the 2017 Australian Open, after a closely-fought match, as each of their Grand Slam finals has been.

Watching a ‘Fedal’ final is not just exciting due to their iconic rivalry, but the fact that the two players routinely bring out the best in each other. The two share a long-standing mutual respect and have been friends since their earliest days on the circuit, a friendship that has only grown stronger with time.

Each speaks of the other as the best rival they could have, with Federer describing Nadal as his “dream doubles partner.”

Both players are routinely considered perhaps the Greatest of All Time, and are well worthy of the GOAT title.

But their names are almost always mentioned together – like the yin to one another’s yang, Federer and Nadal not only bring out each other’s best game, but are a testament to the other’s sheer skill.

Perhaps it could be argued that one might not have seen Nadal’s prodigious skills reach the level they did had he not had the sounding board of the iconic Roger Federer – or that the 18^th Major record for Federer could not have happened without that Nadal push.

Over the years, the two have elicited each other’s top play – and given fans some of the best tennis they could have hoped to watch.

Such is the bond the two share that in 2016, Federer flew to Spain to inaugurate the tennis academy founded by Nadal in his hometown of Manacor, Spain.

Lin Dan – Lee Chong Wei

The former No. 1s have met twice at Olympic finals

It should come as no surprise that two of the greatest men’s singles players in badminton history have a rivalry just as iconic. Sharing what is dubbed the ‘Lee-Lin’ rivalry, the two have a rivalry that finds constant comparison with tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Interestingly, the pairs also share a near-identical head-to-head record; Lee and Lin share a 37-match rivalry, with the Chinese shuttler the ‘Nadal’ of the pair, leading their head-to-head record at 25-12.

Lin once called Lee his “fiercest ever opponent,” and the two are also the only shuttlers to have played each other in two Olympic finals, the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 Olympics in Great Britain, with Lin Dan winning on both occasions.

Not only have they brought out each other’s best game, the two have also helped improve political relations between Malaysia and China, and rarely is one player discussed without the other coming up.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Lionel Messi

Messi and Ronaldo hold almost every La Liga record in existence

While Pele and Diego Maradona have drawn constant comparisons, modern-day football is rarely spoken of without a mention of Ronaldo and Messi. Considered among the best in the game today, the two have nine Ballons d’Or among them, five to Messi and four to Ronaldo.

Their playing styles are not necessarily similar, but the laurels the two have won go neck-and-neck, with both players backed by a robust fan following.

The two are portrayed as – and perhaps maintain very contrasting public images, Ronaldo more outgoing and social media friendly, while Messi largely maintains a low public profile apart from his professional life.

Both players hold almost every La Liga record in existence, and go neck-and-neck in terms of titles – while Ronaldo has one fewer Ballon d’Or than his Argentine rival, he has an international title that his rival does not.

They play each other during El Clasico, but even when they are not pitted against each other, it seems to fans as if the two greats are fighting to outdo each other, and beat each other’s ever-mounting set of records.

There have even been instances where a Ronaldo hat-trick, or a similar feat, has been repeated by Messi almost immediately in the diminutive Argentine’s next game.

And like many other greats, they share a camaraderie and respect off the field despite their intense rivalry, and that of their clubs – FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Alain Prost – Ayrton Senna

Senna (L) and Prost were teammates at McLaren, a partnership that intensified their rivalry

Prost and Senna, with seven Formula One World Championship titles among them, shared one of the sport’s most iconic rivalries – but started out as teammates. In 1988, Senna was signed to McLaren – with their experienced driver Prost already a two-time drivers’ champion with the English constructors.

That team started out competitively. In his debut year at McLaren, Senna was adamant that he should prove himself better than Prost, and at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix, raced out of his skin to gain a significant lead over Alain Prost.

But that race ended in Senna crashing out – and the Brazilian was so incensed by that crash that he did not even bother stopping over with the team, but went directly back to his apartment.

That crash put a dent in Senna’s ego, he later went on to say, and brought a new vigour into his racing. The teammates won 15 of the year’s 16 races between them, but their tense relationship remained – and was further strained when the two collided at the Japanese Grand Prix the following year.

But in later years, their relationship – strained, and yet tensely and closely competitive, warmed to an extent that the two would call one another over the phone frequently.

Senna would have safety concerns about racing going into the Grand Prix at Imola of 1994, and the night before the race, called his friend – Alain Prost, to discuss those concerns at a meeting the following day, immediately in the aftermath of the crash of Roland Ratzenberger.

The following day would tragically be Senna’s last, as he crashed at the exact same corner.

But in the end, Prost would be a pallbearer at Senna’s funeral only weeks later, marking a tragic end to what would have been a beautiful friendship.