Been a bit spoiled really, going to be hard for future generations to top this lot in one go:
Tennis = Venus/Serena & Fed/Nadal/Djoko
Golf = Tiger
Football = Messi/Ronaldo
Athletics = Usain Bolt
Swimming = Phelps
Snooker = Ronnie
Darts = Phil Taylor
F1 = Hamilton
NFL = Brady
NBA = Kobe/Lebron
May be missing some obvious ones. Not bad though.
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You wot
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I think I'm saying there has been a disproportionately high number of what I would term 'iconic' sportspeople produced in the last 25 years.
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Pele
Borg
Jack Nicklaus
Carl Lewis
Spitz
Davis
Schumacher
Hth
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Dan Marino
Michael jordon
In summary, your post is bollox
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Perhaps I should have said generation. Pele and Schumacher were hardly of the same era.
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Pele
Borg
Jack Nicklaus
Carl Lewis
Spitz
Which bit of 'last 25 years' is confusing you?
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They are the 25 years before your 25...
Point being every generation thinks theirs is iconic
So in 25 it will be a piece of piss to name
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Ok swap Pele for maradoba
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I'll keep an eye out for your thread.
Start with Radecanu and work from there.
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Heh @ Djokovic being iconic.
Heh2 @ snooker and darts players being iconic.
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James Vince.
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What help would that be, given he's also not of this generation?
Pele was overrated anyway.
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Seey 1833
Agree tbh
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Dan Marino never won a Superbowl. Tom Brady won seven.
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Iconic name, give you that. Young/Montana/Elway wold have been better though.
Jordan.
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Ok swap Marino for OJ....
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Heh, was going to post that.
Still though, LAST 25 YEARS has been fruitful.
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As the next will...
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Have a feeling Haaland may eclipse Messi and Ronaldo.
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Can't realistically have a tennis conversation about the greats without him in it. He's a bit of a tit though.
See above for snooker & Ronnie.
Taylor was slightly tongue-in-cheek, admittedly, but has won more world championships in his sport than anyone, so what else could he be reasonably described as? He's won 200+ professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships.
Whether you like them or their sport is immaterial.
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Short of some awful injuries, I can see that. He's already approaching 30 CL goals whereas CR7 hadn't scored one at the same age. Frightening.
Great to watch though, club loyalties aside, hope he smashes in 50 this season.
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He’s not iconic. He may be a great. One does not get you a pass to the other.
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Who?
And what's the test? I say a statue or 2. You get that, boom, you're an icon.
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Djokovic.
You can’t be a tit and an icon. That’s not how it works.
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On the basis that darts is a sport (tedes, it is so just leave it) Taylor will go down as the greatest sportsman in terms of dominance, success and longevity.
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Fair. I only really consider Federer an icon of those 3, tbh. Just an absolute artist and a gent to boot.
Nadal is dull as ditchwater, much as I admire his grit and determination, and Djoko is, well, Djoko.
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The old Ronaldo was better.
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Loads of people say that. Can't see it personally, though. I think old Ronaldo is overly romanticised.
CR7 scored more goals than games played for Real Madrid, that is just insane. Smashed Raul's record in about half the games. Before you even get to Ballon D'ors and CLs, etc.
Plus CR7's professionalism puts R9's to shame.
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Yes he was a bit tubby. Didn't like to move off his spot much in the later years. That's all part of the legend.
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Andy Fordham?
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Love R9, don't get me wrong, at his peak probably the greatest striker ever. One of my favourite memories was watching him score that brace in the 2002 final on the Sunday, on the big screen at Glastonbury, bringing in a £500 win that paid for most of the weekend.
CR7 is just an absolute machine though, his peak has lasted about 15 years. That alone puts him a cut above, for me. Not sure we'll ever see the like again.
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Someone should tell Alphonse Areola.
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Heh
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Richie McCaw
Johnny Wilkinson
Jonah Lomu
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Got to be between Jonah and Dan Carter for rugby icon, I'd say. Not to any of their faces, obviously.
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Jonah lomu by miles imo
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Martin Johnson
Shane Warne
Xavi/Iniesta
Bradley Wiggins
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Yep Warnie needed a mention well said.
Always Lomu in rugby for.me. Probably the only true global rugby icon to crossover like that
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Mary Peters
Barry McGuigan
Joey Dunlop
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Sally gunnell
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True story
A chap on a pro am golf day topped his drive, and said ‘that was a bit of a Sally Gunnell!’
(In case you don’t know, that’s’ugly but running well’.)
The guy he was playing with then introduced himself as her Dad
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