The Michael Jordan/LeBron James GOAT debate will rage until the end of time, and it’s unlikely there will ever be a consensus. Regardless of what side you stand on, can you imagine if they were able to face off against each other in their primes for 20 years? That would be bananas! Except, that very same hypothetical has actually been happening in soccer as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been exchanging blows for two decades in a race for the GOAT throne. It has been the greatest head-to-head GOAT battle in modern history, and it’s not over! Both are still dominating domestic leagues, and are primed for their final acts on the grandest stage at the 2026 World Cup in North America. 

Whether you prefer Messi’s surgical free kicks or Ronaldo’s aerial superiority, there is something for everyone in this heavyweight battle. Determining the winner of this GOAT standoff is an exercise in nuance, because with all due respect to Pele, there is nobody even close in the history of soccer who can match these two juggernauts when it comes to the combination of peak production, strength of competition, health, and longevity. As a bonus, Messi and Ronaldo are polar opposites when it comes to how they dominate games. Messi is a diminutive open field magician who keeps the ball on his foot like a yo-yo as he weaves past defenders. He is a master at creating space and then using it to both lace precision shots on goal and find open teammates for scoring opportunities. His free kick accuracy is legendary, stressing goalies from post to post and corner to corner. Ronaldo, for his part, is a statuesque figure who uses his size and uncanny vertical athleticism to control the box. He has tormented goaltenders on corners and crosses for two decades. He is also a relentless assassin who unleashes howitzers on net from anywhere and everywhere in the offensive zone.  

Soccer is often described as an artform in a way that football or baseball is not. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are compared and contrasted based on their statistics, not the mechanics of their respective throwing motions. Soccer, though, seems to leave room for an artistry score when deciding the value of a particular player. In that regard, Messi and Ronaldo are as different in style and equal in talent as Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. If this is art, then there is no wrong answer–there are just two majestically gifted virtuosos to admire. However, in the spirit of athletic competition, the GOAT conversation requires a winner or, at the very least, a statistically worthier option. With the clock ticking on their time left on the pitch, it’s Messi who has the edge in the most spectacular GOAT battle in history.

Considering Messi and Ronaldo dominate soccer in very, very different ways, it’s quite likely that the winner would theoretically be dependent, in large part, on the makeup of the rest of the team. That caveat aside, the statistics show that Messi has an advantage in just about every comparison. He has a decisive lead in Ballon d’Or trophies (8-5) and domestic league championships (12-7). He won the World Cup and nearly won a second. Messi even has the best high-end seasons, owning single-season Big 5 domestic league superiority over Ronaldo in both goals (50) and goal contributions (66). Messi also holds the advantage over Ronaldo in career goals per match and goal contributions per match. Additionally, Ronaldo has scored a disproportionate number of his goals (119) on penalty kicks (PKs), which require far less skill than goals scored in play. Messi already has an advantage in goals and goal rate without considering the fact that he only took and scored roughly half as many PKs as Ronaldo. This makes Messi’s statistical advantage even more pronounced.    

If there was a draft of all the soccer players in the history of the sport, the team with the second pick would not lose any sleep over who the team with the first pick selected. Messi and Ronaldo are fully capable of leading a team to championship glory. It’s more likely than not that Messi and Ronaldo are equally talented and equally important to winning. Choosing one simply means diminishing the other, which is an unfortunate byproduct of creating a list like this. At the risk of diminishing Ronaldo, it’s Messi who gets the crown.

 

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is unique among major sports in the sense that it is so new to the competitive landscape. Major League Baseball (MLB) was founded in 1876. The National Hockey League (NHL) started in 1917, and the National Football League (NFL) came aboard in 1920. Even the National Basketball Association (NBA) can say that its lineage predates 1950. Founded in 1993, and not reaching its stride as a lucrative business until nearly a decade later, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)–MMA’s premier organization–is still firmly in its juvenile stage. The recency of not just the UFC, but the sport of MMA puts anybody with GOAT status in peril strictly from a statistical probability perspective. Pick a sport, and it is almost certainly true that the GOAT 30 years after that sport became a professionally organized endeavor is most certainly not the GOAT today. Considering Jon Jones’s near-flawless record, it’s doubtful that he’s shaking in his bare feet, but he might not want to get too comfortable with his status as the universally accepted GOAT. After three decades of growing pains, the UFC is more talented than ever and, as a result, the GOAT race is seemingly on the cusp of becoming very interesting with candidates emerging in several weight classes. In the intermediate, however, it’s Jon Jones who sits comfortably on the throne, waiting for his first legitimate contender. Why is Jones so far-and-away the greatest mixed-martial artist more than a quarter-of-a-century into the sport, and what makes him vulnerable to the next generation of octagon assassins? Let’s check it out… 

Jon Jones is a bad man. He’s so bad, in fact, that his only loss as an MMA professional stems from pounding his opponent (Matt Hamill) too savagely, resulting in a disqualification. Otherwise, he has been perfect. His 28-1 record is buoyed by victories over a record nine former UFC champions. His 12 title defenses in the UFC are the most all-time and come in MMA’s two most dangerous divisions–light heavyweight and heavyweight. His 16 wins in title bouts are, far and away, the most in UFC history. During his decade reign of terror over the light heavyweight division, Jones fought a literal Hall-of-Fame list of challengers, including Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier (x2). Jones’s two wins over Cormier are particularly notable, since it might be Cormier who is considered the GOAT if not for Jones. Cormier only lost twice in his career in the light heavyweight division, and both were to Jones. Jones battered the light heavyweight division so badly that he ran out of viable threats and motivation, prompting a move to heavyweight. Jones’s move to heavyweight wasn’t a toe-dip into the pool, either; it was a high-dive into the deep end against a #1 contender–Ciryl Gane–and arguably the greatest heavyweight in MMA history–Stipe Miocic. Jones was dominant in finishing both Gane and Miocic, adding even more scalps to what is often regarded as the most difficult schedule any fighter has faced in MMA history. 

The challengers to Jones’s claim as the GOAT have flaws that Jones does not. Anderson Silva dominated a division (middleweight) that was not particularly deep. Georges St. Pierre (GSP) faced a similar reality (welterweight), while also suffering arguably the biggest upset in MMA history (Matt Serra). Khabib Nurmagomedov–the only retired undefeated fighter in UFC history–was far too inactive and faced too few high-caliber fighters to pose a genuine threat. Demetrious Johnson–a fighter who often gets thrown into the GOAT conversation–faced an even weaker slate than Khabib, didn’t fight the most accomplished fighters of his era, and holds an equally shocking upset loss as St. Pierre (Adriano Moraes). Alexander Volkanovski–the longstanding king of the featherweight division–was mounting a serious challenge before failing in two attempts to become a two-division champ, and then discovering Ilia Topuria’s brilliance. 

While the challengers to Jones simply don’t exist at the moment, there are at least four factors that make Jones vulnerable as MMA’s GOAT:

1) Like Barry Bonds, Jones has allegedly failed multiple drug tests for banned substances. Much like baseball, however, performance enhancing drug use (PEDs) was rampant in MMA during Jones’s peak. The list of athletes in the UFC during Jones’s career who tested positive for PEDs is virtually a who’s who of MMA greats. This makes it highly liked that some of Jones’s opponents were potentially using PEDs as well. Still, future GOAT candidates who do not have any connections to PEDs may have an advantage in a resume comparison with Jones. (Note: I do not discount accomplishments because of PED use. However, it could be used as a mitigating factor in the event a comparison that is too-close-to-call requires a tiebreaker.)

2) While Jones has managed to remain (unofficially) undefeated, he has had several razor close fights against what could be considered inferior competition. Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1 was very close. Jones was probably the right choice, but many fans and media outlets scored the fight for Gustafsson. Jones vs. Thiago Santos was also incredibly close. Again, Jones was probably the right choice, but many fans and media outlets scored the fight for Santos. Jones vs. Dominick Reyes is widely regarded as the wrong choice, with the majority of the MMA community–including UFC President Dana White–viewing Reyes as the winner of the fight. The judges scored it a split decision in favor of Jones, damaging Jones’s aura of invincibility in the process. There is nothing shameful about close fights. Jones doesn’t need to make apologies for winning, including the Reyes split decision. However, this is an area in a GOAT showdown where he can be vulnerable, especially if a challenger can remain undefeated while avoiding controversial decisions. 

3) Jones began his career as a finishing merchant. He won nine of his first 13 UFC fights by finish, and it would be 10 if not for his disqualification loss for pummeling Matt Hamill too savagely. He then saw seven of his last eight victories at light heavyweight come by decision. This sort of evolution from a ferocious finisher to a more cautious approach is not uncommon among longtime champions. GSP saw nine of his first 13 UFC victories come by finish, only for his last seven victories at welterweight to come by decision. Again, Jones (and GSP) don’t have to apologize for winning fights. A win is a win. However, in a close resume standoff, a fighter who wins more emphatically more often will have a advantage. 

4) Jones deserves a lot of credit for dispatching with such a long list of legends and Hall-of-Famers. However, his activity level fell off precipitously after his 14th UFC fight. In the eight years from 2014-2022, Jones fought just eight times. His career activity level is far superior to someone like Nurmagomedov, so it’s not something that is a significant weakness. However, if a GOAT challenger emerges who consistently accumulates 2-3 fights per year over the course of 10-15 years, then that would be an area where Jones’s resume could be vulnerable. (Note: The growing trend of fighters fighting less–not more–may make this a moot point.)

This is not to say that Jones doesn’t have a stranglehold on the current MMA GOAT conversation. He has not suffered a legitimate loss in 24 UFC fights. He has faced all comers in MMA’s two most vicious divisions, and his most dominant performances have come against his most difficult opponents. It will take a flawless resume to unseat Jones from the throne. With organized MMA being so young, it’s not yet clear how often we should expect to see such a resume. A threat could come in the next 5-10 years, or never come at all. In the meantime, it’s Jones who has the crown.

Of all the GOAT debates in sports, the easiest one comes from football, because there isn’t a debate at all. Tom Brady made the conversation an open-and-shut affair. There are no competition concerns, numbers to scrutinize, or “yeah, but”s to explore. The only mystery isn’t who the GOAT is, rather it’s how it ended up being the 199th pick of an NFL draft. Let’s explore what makes a skinny 6th round quarterback in the world’s most brutal sport the unequivocal greatest of all time. 

The Leader in Everything

It’s easy to start with statistics, and there’s no reason to bury the lede, so let’s begin there. The most important position in all of sports is, arguably, quarterback. There have been dozens of phenomenal quarterbacks in NFL history. What makes Tom Brady so unique is that he has more passing yards, passing touchdowns, 4th quarter comebacks, game-winning drives, regular season wins, postseason wins, Super Bowl victories, and Super Bowl MVPs than all of them. His 12 combined Super Bowl rings and Super Bowl MVPs are five more than any other player in NFL history. His Approximate Value–a statistic created by Pro Football Reference to estimate career value–is 49 more than any other player, which is greater than the difference between 2nd place and 9th place. He not only has the greatest career in history, but his 2007 regular season is arguably the greatest season in history. 

Impact on Winning

Brady’s career statistics are enough to end the debate, but there are several other angles that bolster his legacy. For instance, Brady’s impact on winning is unrivaled in the sport. Bill Belichick is often included on the Mount Rushmore of NFL head coaches, and rightfully so. Belichick has a record six Super Bowl victories as a head coach, and appeared in a record nine Super Bowls. However, Belichick owes quite a bit to Brady for his success. Belichick’s career regular season record without Brady is 83-104 (.444). With Brady? Well things look a little sunnier at 219-64 (.774). Belichick’s career playoff record without Brady stands at just 1-2 (.333). Again, with Brady, that record balloons to 30-11 (.732). Certainly, there was some mutualism between Brady and Belichick in New England, but Belichick was unsuccessful in three NFL stints without Brady. Brady without Belichick? This is where Brady’s legacy reaches the land beyond the land of the absurd. Brady left New England to be the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay in 2020. Tampa had not made the playoffs in the previous 12 seasons, and carried a 7-9 record in 2019. In Brady’s first season without Belichick, he was the MVP of the Super Bowl! Brady would go on to lead the Bucs to the playoffs in all three of his seasons in Tampa, and did so in his mid-40s. Brady’s career regular season without Belichick is 32-18 (.640), and his playoff record is 5-2 (.714). It is rare in sports that we get to see such a definitive conclusion on the relative importance of a single player as we’ve been able to see with Brady. His massive success with and without Belichick, and with and without the Patriots and Bucs, combined with Belichick and Tampa’s poor records without Brady shows just how instrumental Brady was to his winning endeavors.

Sustained Excellence

Brady’s massive statistical ledger and his impact on winning are more than enough to close the book on this debate, but there’s more. Brady’s sustained excellence is only rivaled by LeBron James in the history of professional sports. Brady led the NFL in passing yards in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. He did the same with touchdowns. He won multiple Super Bowls in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. As a starting quarterback, Brady was 70-24 (.745) in his 20s, 113-28 (.801) in his 30s, and 68-30 (.694) in his 40s. There are only three quarterbacks in history besides Brady who won two Super Bowls with at least a .694 career winning %, and Brady accomplished that in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. 

Brady’s sustained excellence shows up even more if we move beyond the fact that he’s the all time leader in so many categories, and explore just how big his margin is over second place in those categories. His 10 Super Bowl appearances are four more than any other player. His 251 regular season wins are 65 more than any other player. The difference between Brady and 2nd place is the same as the difference between 2nd and 12th place. Brady’s regular season win total is twice as many as all but 8 quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady’s 35 playoff wins are more than double any other quarterback in history. He has twice as many passing yards as all but 18 quarterbacks, and twice as many passing touchdowns as all but 12.

The Sneaky O.G.

Perhaps most underexplored on Brady’s resume is how effective he was with his feet. Yes, the player in NFL history that you’d pick last in a 40-yard dash competition is arguably the greatest short yardage QB of all-time. Brady’s 124 conversions on third or fourth-and-1 are the most since 2000. His 90.5% conversion rate is the 2nd highest in that same timeframe. Brady’s 238 career rushing first downs are more than Peyton Manning and Drew Brees combined. He’s 18th on the postseason list for rushing touchdowns, including running backs! The most unstoppable weapon in the NFL today is the Brotherly Shove. It’s just under 90% success rate is so effective that owners considered banning the play following the 2024-25 regular season. Long before the Eagles perfected short yardage conversions, Tom Brady had the art of the quarterback sneak mastered at an even higher success rate. Brady’s 5.24 40-yard-dash didn’t win him many footraces, but nothing deflates a defense more than an “and short” conversion, and Brady did it better than anyone.  

That’s a wrap. 

If we had the ability to create an NFL player with 99s in every category, that player would be hard-pressed to duplicate Tom Brady’s career accomplishments. He isn’t just first in everything, he’s first in everything by a lot. He didn’t just win more than anyone, he left no doubt as to who was most responsible for it. He didn’t just play longer than anyone, he sustained excellence at a level that is unheard of in professional sports. Brady didn’t just kill Super Bowl dreams, he killed the GOAT debate. Thanks, Tom!