World's Greatest Sportsmen

This kind of lists have already been made several times by more and less credible columnists, and most of the times it's gone wrong. It's usually been topped by either Ali or Pele, but neither of them belongs there. Ali was a great athlete and even greater cultural and political figure, but he isn't even the best boxer of all time. Sugar Ray Robinson is. And Pele just happened to be a part of some of the greatest football teams world has ever seen. He wouldn't be mentioned as the best football player ever had he played for Zimbabwe, Mongolia, or Finland.

5. Michael Jordan

The only team sport player in the list (see introduction). Although he was part of the great team in Chicago, but was also a dominant player in NBA. Failing in baseball is a minus.

4. Usain Bolt

World's fastest man by far. And I have a sneaky feeling we haven't seen everything yet.

3. Nadia Comaneci

First woman to score a perfect 10 points in gymnastics, in Montreal Olympics 1976.

2. Paavo Nurmi

Won 9 Olympic gold medals, and would have probably won some more, but was declared a professonal just before 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, and disallowed to participate.

1. Sugar Ray Robinson

The greatest sportsman in the hardest sport. Case closed.