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In an ideal world, we get whatever we desire. But we live in a world far from ideal where everything should be earned by diligence. The careers of remarkable athletes world over represent this fact beautifully. They may have performed brilliantly on numerous occasions during the course of their career, but faltered in crucial moments to lose out on major silverware.Special Mentions:The likes of Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Mahela Jayawardena,Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara and many other legendary cricketers did not taste World Cup success.
#10 AB de Villiers
South Africa crashed out of the World Cup in heartbreaking fashion against New Zealand yesterday. While there was despair on the faces of South African players and their supporters, New Zealand celebrated as their team reached their first World Cup final.
None was more disappointed than South African skipper A B de Villiers. One of the finest batsmen of the modern game, de Villiers hit a quickfire 50 and was involved in a 103 run partnership with Faf du Plessis. The No. 1 batsman in One-day international cricket also bowled three overs when JP Duminy was conceding runs from one end.
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He did all he could, but the rain gods had their say yet again. South Africa couldnt bat out their 50 overs and New Zealand chased down the target of 298 (Duckworth Lewis method) with a ball to spare.
de Villiers is 31 years old at the moment and it remains to be seen if he can win a World Cup before he retires.
#9 Charles Barkley
Drafted as the fifth pick in the 1984 NBA draft, Charles Barkley was one of the most dominating power forwards in the history of the sport. He was adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1993 and was an NBA All-Star on 11 occasions.
Barkley was part of the Philadelphia 76ers(1984-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-96) and Houston Rockets (1996-2000). His career stats were impressive.
Barkley scored 23,757 points with 12,546 rebounds and 4,215 assists. He was part of the “Dream Team” that won two Olympic gold medals in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games. As mark of respect, the 76ers and Suns retired the No. 34 jersey of Barkley.
Barkley couldn’t lay his hands on the NBA title in his 16-year career.
#8 Phil Mickelson
One of the great golfers of the modern era, Phil Mickelson has won 42 titles on the PGA tour. He is a winner of three Masters titles (2004, 2006 and 2010), PGA championship(2005) and the Open Championship (2013).
Mickelson is also one of only 16 golfers to have won three of the four majors that the sport has to offer. The only major missing from his trophy cabinet is his home major – the US Open. Mickelson has finished as runner-up at the US Open a record six times.
#7 Steve Nash
Steve Nash announced his retirement from professional basketball after 19 seasons in the NBA. Some of his accomplishments include:
2-time MVP (2005, 2006). Nash is just one of 10 players to win back-to-back MVP awards.
8-time NBA All-Star (2002-03, 2005-08, 2010,2012)
3-time All-NBA First team
Nash is one of the best point guards in the history of NBA. He is known for revolutionizing the point guard position in the NBA.
He was also impressive in three-point shooting, free throw shooting and assists as well. Nash never won the NBA championship during his impressive career nor reached the NBA finals.
#6 Pete Sampras
Former World No. 1 tennis player Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slams in his career. He was the first to go past Roy Emerson’s tally of 12 Grand Slams in the Open era. Sampras was known for his serve and volley which he used effectively to win seven Wimbledon titles. The American dominated tennis in the 90s and finished as the year end No. 1 six times from 1993-1998.
His other Grand Slam wins include: US Open (5 times) and Australian Open (twice). Sampras failed to win the French Open with his best result being a semifinal appearance in 1996.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best footballers in the world. Ronaldo has been part of Sporting CP, Manchester United and Real Madrid teams over the course of his career. He won the 2014 Ballon D’Or award and helped Real Madrid clinch the Champions League title last year.
Ronaldo is Portugal’s top goal scorer and has played more than 100 games for his nation. He was instrumental in Portugal reaching the final of Euro 2004 Championships. The 29-year old led the national team to a semifinal in Euro 2012 Championships and was the top scorer in the tournament.
He won three premier league titles (Manchester United), One La Liga, two Champions league,FIBA Club World Cups (Real Madrid). Ronaldo has not the coveted FIFA World Cup with Portugal. He was part of the 2006 World Cup team that finished fourth in the competition.
#4 Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss had a remarkable racing career between 1948 and 1962 where he won 212 out of the 529 races he entered. This run saw him clinch Formula One 16 Grands Prix.
Stirling was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame for his incredible career and popularising the sport in Britain. He is widely regarded as the greatest driver to have never won the World Championship.
#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the only footballer in the world to win four FIFA Ballon D’Ors. The 27-year old has won six La Ligas, two Copas del Rey, three Champions League and two FIBA Club World Cups with Barcelona. Messi has not been able to lay his hands on the highest award in international football.
The Argentina skipper was in terrfic form at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and helped his nation reach the summit clash. Mario Gotze scored an extra time goal to deny Argentina and Messi a piece of history. Messi won the Golden Ball for an outstanding performance, but couldn’t help his team over the line in the final.
#2 Arnold Palmer
Nicknamed “The King”, Arnold Palmer lived up to his reputation with creditable perfromances on the golf course. He played a key role in changing the perception that golf was a rich man’s game. Palmer made sure that the sport is accessible to the middle and working classes as well.
A Hall of Famer, Palmer won seven major championships on the PGA tour and was two-time PGA Player of the year(1960, 1962). The only major that eluded him is the PGA Championship.
#1 Johan Cruyff
Ranked No. 2 in FIFA’s all century team, Johan Cruyff was a celebrated Dutch football player credited with revolutionising the sport with “Total Football”. He won three Ballon d’Or awards between 1971 and 1974.
Cruyff scored 291 goals in 520 club games and 48 goals for his national team in 51 matches. Cruyff led his team to the 1974 World Cup final, but came second against a well oiled West German outfit. He was named the player of the tournament. He retired from international football at just 31 years of age before the start of the 1978 World Cup.
