No sport is without a rivalry. Call it bitterness, enmity, friendly competition, or just plain hatefest, rivalries are often what make a sport attractive, dramatic, and memorable all at the same time. From soccer to basketball to tennis, let’s look at 10 of the best sports rivalries of all-time.
When you’re done reading this list, you can check out our other countdowns such as Vince Carter’s best dunks and Kobe Bryant’s best moments.
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Best Individual Rivalries in Sports
10. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
On top of that, they’re the only players who’ve won the Ballon d’ Or since 2010. Soccer fans everywhere can debate all they want, but this rivalry is too heated and intense that there’s not going to be a definitive answer to that argument at least for now.
9. Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady
When it’s all said and done, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are going to be ranked alongside one another on many all-time quarterbacks list. Even when the time comes that they’re both retired, people are always going to debate which signal-caller was better.
Manning holds a number of passing records, but Brady has more rings (4-2) and goes home to a hotter wife. Brady holds the 11-6 advantage in their all-time meetings, but Manning is 3-2 in the postseason. Regardless which side you’re on, you have to admit, this rivalry is an all-timer.
8. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer
When you have two future Hall of Famers playing in the same era, it’s inevitable for each other to be deemed as rivals. Take for example Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, who began their heated duel in the 1960s. Everything began in 1962 when Palmer—then the king of the golfing world—was defeated in the U.S. Open by Nicklaus, who had to overcome a three-stroke deficit and force an 18-hole playoff.
While their rivalry didn’t reach to a point where they were attacking each other with clubs, Nicklaus and Palmer went on to monopolize major golf events for many years. Nicklaus eventually won a record 18 majors, while Palmer had seven.
7. Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran
Styles make fights in boxing. And Leonard and Duran, whose styles couldn’t be any more different from each other—Leonard had blazing hand speed fast and a crafty footwork while Duran owns an explosive pair of fists, thus his nickname, Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)— captured the imagination of boxing fans in the 1980’s, when they engaged in a trilogy for the ages.
The first fight had Duran emerging as the victor via a unanimous decision. The next meeting had Duran quitting at the end of the eighth round by saying the now infamous “No mas”. Nine years after their first showdown, Leonard defeated Duran in 1989 in the rubber match.
6. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal
You can say that Nadal is Federer’s Kryptonite to his Superman. Federer has been the single most dominant player men’s tennis has ever seen with the Swiss owning a record 17 major titles and is gunning for more, as he appears to be far from quitting any time soon. Nadal, who has won 14 grand slams, however, leads R-Fed in their career head-to-head series, 23-11, thanks to his uncanny ability on clay.
The two players were so untouchable back in the 2000’s that Federer and Nadal spent time 1-2 in the world rankings from 2005-2010, an unprecedented streak in tennis history. Unfortunately for those who love blood in a rivalry, Federer and Nadal’s is of the friendly kind.
5. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi
The 1990’s were a great time to be a tennis fan. And among the highlights of the sport during that time was the Sampras-Agassi rivalry, which guaranteed fireworks every time the two met on the court. Sampras sat on top of the world rankings for 286 consecutive weeks, while Agassi was ranked first for 101 total weeks. From 1989 to 2002, the two played each other 34 times with Sampras edging Agassi in 20 of those matches.
4. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova
Evert and Navratilova met so many times on the court that Sampras and Agassi’s 34 meetings pale in comparison. “Martina and Chrissy” played against each other 80 times 1973 to 1988 with Navratilova having the 43-37 edge.
What’s more impressive was the fact that 60 of those matches were played in tournament finals, meaning all these two women did back then was demolish the rest of the competition and play in the championship game. They also met 14 times in grand slam finals with Navratilova again having the advantage, 10-4.
3. Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell
On talent alone, Chamberlain was the better player than Russell. But as unstoppable of an offensive force The Big Dipper was, his teams were often beaten by Russell’s Celtics. Russell was more of a defensive player and was the perfect core piece for the dynastic C’s that won 11 titles from 1957 to 1969. The two big men met a grand total of 142 times over a 10-year stretch, and Russell’s side won 85 of those matchups.
2. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
Everything you want to see on a rivalry, Ali and Frazier had it. Ali was brash and cocky and always brought that kind of attitude to the ring. Frazier was more of the reserved type, but was an absolute animal when it’s time to box.
The two legendary fighters had three fights against one another in their career with the first two meetings going the full 15-round route. The third installment of their trilogy was the most memorable one, as Ali defeated Frazier in the 1975 classic “Thrilla in Manila” bout.
1. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird
No individual basketball rivalry was more seminal than Bird and Magic. The two first met in college, when Magic’s Michigan State Spartans beat Bird’s Indiana State in the 1978NCAA Championship game.
Their rivalry spilled into the NBA, where it was amplified further by the fact that Bird played for the Celtics and Magic for the Lakers, two storied franchises with an already defined hostility. Bird and Johnson would meet in the NBA Finals three times with Magic’s Lakers winning two series. Their rivalry also sparked tremendous mainstream interest in basketball back in the 80’s, which the NBA still enjoys to this day.
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