Miguel Sanchez Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) This idea popped into my head while watching the Euros and when seeing an argument in the Andy Murray/tennis thread. Here is a list of the world's countries: Best footballer Best non-footballer Football better? Afghanistan Zohib Islam Amiri Rohullah Nikpai (taekwondo) No Albania Lorik Cana Izmir Smajlaj (long jump) Yes Algeria Rabah Madder Noureddine Morceli (running) No American Samoa Nicky Salapu Sean Manaea (baseball) No Andorra Ildefons Lima Hocine Haciane (swimming) Yes Angola Manucho Carlos Morais (basketball) Yes Anguilla Ryan Liddie Omari Banks (cricket) No Antigua and Barbuda Peter Byers Viv Richards (cricket) No Argentina Lionel Messi Juan Manuel Fangio (motor racing) Yes Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan Artur Aleksanyan (wrestling) Yes Aruba Theric Ruiz Xander Bogaerts (baseball) No Australia Harry Kewell Don Bradman (cricket) No Austria David Alaba Toni Sailer (skiing) No Azerbaijan Rashad Sadygov Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (chess) No The Bahamas Lesly St. Fleur Chris Brown (sprinting) No Bahrain Ismail Abdullatif Yusuf Saad Kamel (running) No Bangladesh Jamal Bhuyan Mashrafe Mortaza (cricket) No Barbados Llewellyn Riley Garfield Sobers (cricket) No Belarus Alexander Hleb Max Mirnyi (tennis) No Belgium Eden Hazard Eddy Merckx (cycling) No Belize Deon McCaulay Verno Phillips (boxing) No Benin Stephane Sessegnon Yemi Apithy (fencing) Yes Bermuda Shaun Goater Clarence Hill (boxing) Yes Bhutan Chencho Gyeltshen Sigyel Phub (boxing) Yes Bolivia Marcelo Moreno Paulo Victor Aguilera (bmx) Yes Bosnia and Herzegovina Edin Dzeko Mirza Teletovic (basketball) Yes Botswana Joel Mogorosi Nijel Amos (running) No Brazil Pele Ayrton Senna (motor racing) Yes British Virgin Islands Avondale Williams Dion Crabbe (sprinting) No Brunei Shah Razen Said Fakhri Ismail (sprinting) Yes Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov Boyan Aleksandrov (wrestling) No Burkina Faso Charles Kabore Hugues Fabrice Zango (triple jump) Yes Burundi Saido Berahino Venuste Niyongabo (running) No Cambodia Keo Sokpheng Hem Bunting (running) No Cameroon Samuel Eto'o Joel Embiid (basketball) Yes Canada Dwayne De Rosario Wayne Gretzky (hockey) No Cape Verde Ryan Mendes Jordin Andrade (hurdling) Yes Cayman Islands Mark Ebanks Shaune Fraser (swimming) No Central African Republic Geoffrey Kongdogbia Beranger-Aymard Bosse (sprinting) Yes Chad Ezechiel N'Douassel Yes Chile Alexis Sanchez Marcelo Rios (tennis) Yes China Sun Jihai Yao Ming (basketball) No Chinese Taipei Chen Po-liang Chien-Ming Wang (baseball) No Colombia Carlos Valderrama Edgar Renteria (baseball) No Comoros El Fardou Ben Nabouhane Maoulida Daroueche (sprinting) Yes Democratic Republic of the Congo Dieumerci Mbokani Dikembe Mutombo (basketball) No Republic of the Congo Francois M'Pele Yes Cook Islands Tony Jamieson Stan Wright (rugby) No Costa Rica Alejandro Morera Soto Nery Brenes (sprinting) Yes Croatia Luka Modric Ivano Balic (handball) Yes Cuba Onel Hernandez Teofilo Stevenson (boxing) No Curacao Leandro Bacuna Jurickson Profar (baseball) No Cyprus Sotiris Kaiafas Marcos Baghdatis (tennis) Yes Czech Republic Pavel Nedved Dominik Hasek (hockey) No Denmark Michael Laudrup Mikkel Hansen (handball) Tie Djibouti Hussein Ahmed Salah (running) No Dominica Glenson Prince Jerome Romain (triple jump) No Dominican Republic Tano Bonnin Albert Pujols (baseball) No East Timor Nataniel Reis Augusto Ramos Soares (running) Yes Ecuador Antonio Valencia Andres Gomez (tennis) Yes Egypt Mo Salah Amr Shabana (squash) Yes El Salvador Magico Gonzalez Carlos Hernandez (boxing) Yes Equatorial Guinea Emilio Nsue Eric Moussambani (swimming) Yes Eritrea Yidnekachew Shimangus Zersenay Tadese (running) No Estonia Ragnar Klavan Andrus Veerpalu (skiing) No Eswatini Tony Tsabedze Yes Ethiopia Getaneh Kebede Haile Gebrselassie (running) No Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France Gabon The Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Tahiti Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Scotland England Northern Ireland Wales United States US Virgin Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Totals: Edited August 5, 2021 by Miguel Sanchez 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Sanchez Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 I'll put in the names once we reach a consensus or someone looks up an obscure Pacific island's history on wikipedia. The Travel Forum claims P&B has a well-travelled membership - how much do you know about the world? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Goran Pandev for North Macedonia (although you could make a claim for Darko Pandev). The other sport would be basketball but I can't think of any Macedonian basketballers. F1 v Football is an interesting one- how do you compare Fangio to Maradona or Senna to Pele? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonS Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 These countries are certainties: Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Canada, USA, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Kenya, Ethiopia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneteaminglasgow Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 24 minutes ago, tamthebam said: Goran Pandev for North Macedonia (although you could make a claim for Darko Pandev). The other sport would be basketball but I can't think of any Macedonian basketballers. F1 v Football is an interesting one- how do you compare Fangio to Maradona or Senna to Pele? Well, F1 is shite so obviously the footballers come out on top there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamski Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) Using [country name] most famous sportsman as a search in google will give you a decent guide. Top answer by that method: Scotland: Chris Hoy England: Lewis Hamilton Wales: Gareth Bale Northern Ireland: Rory McIlroy Ireland: Paul O'Connell France: Zinedine Zidane Spain: Rafael Nadal Italy: Francesco Totti Brazil: Pele Argentina: Diego Maradona Finland: Paavo Nurmi Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Norway: Marit Bjorgen Denmark: Christian Eriksen Belgium: Eden Hazard Holland: Johan Cruyff Fill your boots with the others. Edited July 16, 2021 by Adamski 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamski Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Scotland's top 10 by that method: 10. Stephen Hendry 9. Judy Murray 8. Jamie Murray 7. Jock Stein 6. Bill Shankly 5. Andy Robertson 4. Kenny Dalglish 3. Alex Ferguson 2. Matt Busby 1. Chris Hoy (I.e. the member of the Murray family missing from that list highlights a bit of a flaw in that method.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Marit Bjorgen, while not a wid, is female. The OP asked for male sportsman (a tautology) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwffc Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 New Zealand's best sportsman is probably Richie McCaw with Kane Williamson in second as it stands. I don't think there will be any footballers high on the list 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossBFaeDundee Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Surely Roy Krishna is Fiji's greatest ever footballer, having dominated in New Zealand, the A-League (via Wellington) and India, leading his nation in caps and is 2 goals off the national record, held by the only guy I can see touching him in this race, Esala Masi, who managed 31 goals in 34 international games (Krishna has 29 in 41 games), and helped Fiji win titles in the Pacific Games and Melanesia Cup, whereas Krishna has never won anything with his native country according to Wikipedia. Masi can also claim an Australian national title while Krishna can't, but he can claim several New Zealand titles, an OFC Champions League, and an Indian Super League title. Krishna looks to have played at the higher levels and performed very well. As for Fiji's greatest ever sportsman, while I'm sure there's a few rugby union and rugby league players worth mentioning who I've likely not heard of before, it has to be Vijay Singh for me with his 3 Masters, 34 PGA Tour wins, 32-week reign as golf's no. 1 and Hall of Fame status. His prowess surely towers over any other from the pacific isle. Hopefully that's enough to cross Fiji off the list lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightmare Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Interesting concept. I’d be confident in saying that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Usain Bolt and Vijay Singh are absolute certainties for their respective countries as the non-footballer. On the footballers’ side, I’d guess Pele for Brazil, Cruyff for the Netherlands and Ronaldo for Portugal are comfortable picks as not only the best footballer but the best sportsman. For Argentina I want to say Maradona but that feels incredibly harsh on Messi. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomintroll Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 8 hours ago, ajwffc said: New Zealand's best sportsman is probably Richie McCaw with Kane Williamson in second as it stands. I don't think there will be any footballers high on the list Sir Richard Hadlee, in my opinion is still beating Kane Williamson as their best Cricketer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marten Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 (edited) Best ever male sportsman is very subjective obviously and it's difficult to compare different sports. For The Netherlands, it's easy to name Johan Cruyff. But if it's between him and Pieter van den Hoogenband, the famous swimmer who has been the absolute best in his distances for a long time, it's really difficult to call tbh. Obviously Cruyff is more well-known than any swimmer, even a famous one, but a decent case can be made for Pieter van den Hoogenband. How do you determine "best ever" between an amazing football player and an amazing swimmer? Edited July 17, 2021 by Marten 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Waldo Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 22 minutes ago, Marten said: Best ever male sportsman is very subjective obviously and it's difficult to compare different sports. For The Netherlands, it's easy to name Johan Cruyff. But if it's between him and Pieter van den Hoogenband, the famous swimmer who has been the absolute best in his distances for a long time, it's really difficult to call tbh. Obviously Cruyff is more well-known than any swimmer, even a famous one, but a decent case can be made for Pieter van den Hoogenband. How do you determine "best ever" between an amazing football player and an amazing swimmer? Is there a 'van den Hoogenband' turn ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshmallo Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 39 minutes ago, Marten said: Best ever male sportsman is very subjective obviously and it's difficult to compare different sports. For The Netherlands, it's easy to name Johan Cruyff. But if it's between him and Pieter van den Hoogenband, the famous swimmer who has been the absolute best in his distances for a long time, it's really difficult to call tbh. Obviously Cruyff is more well-known than any swimmer, even a famous one, but a decent case can be made for Pieter van den Hoogenband. How do you determine "best ever" between an amazing football player and an amazing swimmer? Michael van Gerwen is the correct answer anyway 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marten Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Michael van Gerwen is the correct answer anywayFair point! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneteaminglasgow Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 San Marino’s is fairly straightforward with European Cup and 3 time Serie A winner Massimo Bonini being, by an absolutely fucking mile, their greatest ever footballer. Their only other really notable sportsman is (according to google) Manuel Poggiali, who won a motorcycle Grand Prix world championship in 2001. I don’t watch motorbike racing, but I assume this is quite a big deal. Again, there’s the problem of you determine greatest between two very different sports. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Consider some of these fellows for Greece? (Except for the one who isn't Greek). https://www.history.com/news/7-ancient-sports-stars 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Orton Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Belgium greatest sportsman has to be eddy merckx. Footballer, hmm De Bruyne over Hazard for me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Orton Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Australian would have to be Don Bradman. Batting average of 99.99. Some great swimmers also like the Thorpedo. Footballers not so much. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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