Five biggest rivalries in the history of sports

Different sports in different parts of the world have a great fan following and so do the players. Over the years, the fans have seen various fan clubs of teams or players having a rivalry. On the other hand, there were players who were great rivals. Some of them displayed their rivalry openly while some believed to be quiet and let their game do the talking.

There are many legends who have made a great name and etched their names in history. Talking about the modern era or the previous era, a player rivalry isn't something to be surprised by. There have been many instances of player rivalries across different sports. In this listicle, we will discuss the five biggest rivalries in the history of sports.

Five biggest rivals across sports

Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar (Image Credit: Twitter)

1. Sachin Tendulkar - Ricky Ponting (Cricket)

The former skippers of India and Australia are still the top-two century makers across all forms of the game. Notably, they don't have a T20I century to their name. Talking about Sachin, he has 100 centuries to his name combining ODI and Tests. On the other hand, Ponting has 71 hundreds to his name combining both formats.

Bifurcating the records, the 2011 World Cup winner has 49 ODI and 51 Test hundreds to his name. On the other hand, the three-time ODI World Cup winner has 41 in Tests and 30 in ODIs. In their heydays, the fans used to compare the two players and the duo were great rivals on the field. 

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer (Image Credit: Twitter)

2 Rafael Nadal - Roger Federer (Tennis)

The Tennis legends from Serbia and Switzerland, they started their careers in 2004. Nadal was ranked 34th at the time and Federer was the number one player at the time. In a third-round Miami Masters game that year, the Serbian surprised the then number one player by beating him in straight sets.

After this, both became rivals on the field and produced some memorable matches from 2005 to 2010. In this period, they were the top two players in the world. They hold records for consecutive wins on a single surface, Federer on grass and hardcourts while Nadal on clay, and each streak was broken by the other. 

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo (Image Credit: Twitter)

3. Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo (Football)

For the last many years, the duo has been dominating the game and has a great fan following across the globe. Both players have created records and broken as well. They are one of the biggest rivals on the field and have great respect for each.

Off the field, the fans of these players have a go at each other. Talking about the players, they somehow compete each in terms of marketing value, financial deals and many more. The fans have always dreamed of seeing them playing for the same team but it is unlikely to happen. 

Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen (Image Credit: Twitter)

4. Michael Schumacher - Mika Hakkinen (Formula One)

The duo were the biggest rivals in Formula One. It all started during the 1990 Macau Grand Prix F3 racing, where Schumacher won the race after colliding with his counterpart thereby ending the latter's race. From 1998 to 2001, the rivalry was at its peak in the sport.

During the 2000 Belgian Grand, Hakkinen went on to win the race from pole after an off-control spin off the track. Schumacher finished at 2nd place 1.1 seconds behind him, after being overtaken by Hakkinen at the 40th lap after a minor accident which damaged Finn’s front wing. 

Diego Maradona, Pele (Image Credit: Twitter)

5. Diego Maradona - Pele (Football)

In the 20th century, Diego Maradona and Pele were regarded as the greatest players even though they never played against each other. The rivalry intensified thanks to the rivalry between top football nations, Argentina and Brazil. The neutral used to choose between the two players and get behind one of them.

Famous players and football figures often give their opinion on the Maradona and Pelé rivalry, sometimes choosing one over the other. Others prefer not to compare them, as they played in very different times.