Who is the G.O.A.T? Vote now with Sky Bet to help determine world sport's greatest athlete of all-time!

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Sky Bet is asking one of world sport's most fiercely debated questions - who is the greatest athlete of all-time?

To get to the bottom of it - Sky Bet are currently running their G.O.A.T Tournament, which pits 32 present and former professional athletes against each other in a bracket-style showdown.

The shortlist selected to take part in the tournament were decided via a YouGov poll - with the 32 athletes receiving the most votes divided into eight groups of four.

Voting for four of the eight groups in Round One have already taken place, and the results can be found below:

Group 1 

Muhammad Ali - 65% (Winner)

Tom Brady - 14%

Ayrton Senna - 11%

Rafael Nadal - 10% 

Multiple-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali cruises to victory in Group 1 - as his laundry list of accomplishments in the ring and pivotal activism outside of it make him one of the most respected athletes in history. It's safe to say that Ali truly transcended sport.

Seven-time NFL champion Tom Brady, three-time Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna, and 22-time tennis major winner Rafael Nadal shared the remaining 35 percent of the vote.  

Muhammad Ali wins Group 1 of Sky Bet's G.O.A.T Tournament - receiving 65% of the vote

Group 2 

Lewis Hamilton - 56% (Winner)

Tiger Woods - 37%

Don Bradman - 5%

Venus Williams - 2%

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton receives more than half the votes in Group 2 to reign supreme. 15-time golf major winner Tiger Woods finished second, while cricket's greatest ever batsman Don Bradman and five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams secured just seven percent of the vote between them.

Group 3

Lionel Messi - 77% (Winner)

Michael Jordan - 19%

Shane Warne - 3% 

Jonny Wilkinson - 1%

In what is one of the best match-ups on paper - it shouldn't come as a surprise that Lionel Messi and Michael Jordan received the most votes in Group 3. However - the ease with which the Argentinian won will shock some. 

The World Cup winner and eight-time Ballon d'Or recipient Messi ended up with 77 percent of the vote, while six-time NBA champion and five-time regular season MVP Jordan amassed 19 percent.

Does the discrepancy in the vote between Messi and Jordan signal recency bias? Or, did Messi's 2022 World Cup triumph put the little maestro in rarefied air?

The late great Australian leg spinner Shane Warne was in third with three percent, while England's 2003 Rugby World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson received just one percent. 

Group 4

Diego Maradona - 35% (Winner)

Roger Federer - 34%

Ronnie O'Sullivan - 17%

Phil Taylor - 14% 

Group 4 was the tightest finish to date - with Argentina's 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona just pipping 20-time tennis major winner Roger Federer. Once the vote had concluded, Maradona had won with 35 percent of the vote, while Federer was just behind on 34 percent.

Seven-time World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was in third with 17 percent, while 16-time PDC World Darts Champion Phil Taylor was in fourth with 14 percent.

Does O'Sullivan's triumph over Taylor support the argument that a 147 in snooker is a harder achievement than a nine-darter? That is an old-age debate that will only continue to divide opinion.

1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona wins Group 4 - pipping tennis great Roger Federer

The four winners of Groups 1-4 have progressed to the quarter-finals, which will get underway once the winners of the remaining four groups in Round One have been decided.

For those interested in taking part in the G.O.A.T Tournament - head over to Sky Bet's X page now to vote for the most worthy winner!

Groups 5-8 of Sky Bet G.O.A.T Tournament can be found below:

Group 5

Usain Bolt

Novak Djokovic

Mike Tyson

Jack Nicklaus

Group 6

Serena Williams

Michael Schumacher

Mark Spitz

Lebron James

Group 7

Pele

Simone Biles

Laura Kenny

Carl Lewis

Group 8

Cristiano Ronaldo

Michael Phelps

Frankie Dettori

Tanni Grey-Thompson

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