Before we get to the global icons, we risk twelve more names from the list in our second entrance of men’s athletes, including the representatives from the smallest and biggest states in the continent.
Dominic Thiem (Austria 🇦🇹, Tennis)
Succeeding Alpine Skiing icon Marcel Hirscher – who retired in 2019 – as the face of Austrian sport could have been an unnerving task for many. For Dominic Thiem, it was just about taking an aggressive step forward, much in the same way he prepares to unleash some of the most devastating groundstrokes in men’s tennis.
The first male player born in the 1990s to claim a Grand Slam singles title by virtue of his 2020 US Open victory, Thiem’s trophy cabinet would certainly be far more garnished in any other era of men’s tennis. Which is different from saying he has not achieved a lot by age 27.
Inspired by countryman and former World No.1 Thomas Muster, Thiem has been a consistent top 10 ranked player since 2016 – peaking at No.3 -, has racked up close to 20 ATP titles and competed in four Grand Slam Finals thus far. Falling short twice to Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros and once to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, the Austrian finally broke through with a come-from-behind defeat of Alexander Zverev in New York last year, and time seems to be on his side.
Tipped by many as the heir apparent to Nadal in clay and possessing the weapons to exert his will in the other surfaces, he figures to take an even bigger role as soon as Roger, Rafa and Novak finally step away from the limelight.
Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦, Football)
For more than a decade, the “Bosnian Diamond” has been the touchstone of Bosnia Herzegovina’s most successful era as a football nation – whose apogee was an unprecedented appearance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup – emerging as the captain, most capped player and top goalscorer in national team’s history.
Elected twice Bosnian Athlete of the Year, Dzeko’s breakthrough performance came in 2008-09, when he led the line for an unforgettable Bundesliga-winning campaign of outsiders VFL Wolfsburg, and he has since built an impressive career between Germany, England and Italy. The first player ever to score 50 goals in three of Europe’s top five major leagues, he’s grown a reputation as one of Europe’s most feared center forwards, topping the goal scoring charts in the Bundesliga and Serie A with current outfit AS Roma.
At age 35, Dzeko might not be the physical force he once was, a blend of strength, height, technique and instinct that had defenders on their toes, but he continues to be an idol for kids and grownups alike in his home nation as one of finest athletes to ever come out of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria 🇧🇬, Tennis)
Renowned as much for his charming all-around game as for a couple of high-profile romantic relationships, Grigor Dimitrov, one of tennis’ mercurial talents, is Bulgaria’s leading athlete even if his achievements are not at the same level as most of his cohorts featured in this list.
Blessed with fluid ground strokes, especially an exquisite backhand that has earned comparisons to Roger Federer, and supremely athletic, the 29-year-old managed to rise to No.3 in the World after winning the biggest title of his career, the 2017 ATP Tour Finals, but subsequently failed to build on the momentum of his famous triumph and take the final steps towards the top of the sport.
Ultimately, if he does not pivot back up, the inability to fully deliver on his potential might cost the 2014 and 2017 Bulgarian Sportsman of the Year a spot amongst the pantheon of greatest athletes ever produced in the country, yet there is nothing wrong with “only” being a regular Top 10 player, holder of eight ATP titles, a Grand Slam semi-finalist in three occasions and a cult follow for many tennis fans.
Lukas Krpalek (Czech Republic 🇨🇿, Judo)
The most successful judoka born in the territory of former Czechoslovakia, Krpalek was the flag bearer for Czechia at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics and the only Czech athlete to leave the Summer Games with a gold medal.
Nicknamed the Intelligent Beast for his strategic acumen on the mat, the 198-cm tall heavyweight has moved from the -100kg to +100kg since 2016 while maintaining a string of successes. First crowned a World Champion in 2014, he celebrated another victory on the world stage in 2019, taking advantage of the absence of Teddy Riner, who figures to be the main obstacle standing on Krpalek’s road to a second Olympic title.
Also a three-time European Champion, Krpalek’s talent for sports is well documented, as he tried a plethora of different ones before landing on his career of choice by mistake. Despite asking to be enrolled in karate, a clerical mistake led him to a Judo class, and he has not looked back.
Mikkel Hansen (Denmark 🇩🇰, Handball)
The goalscoring catalyst of the Golden Era of Danish handball, the long-haired left back has landed pretty much every individual and team honour there is to win in the sport on his way to national immortality and international acclaim.
Powered by a right-shooting arm capable of the most mind-bending feats, including one of the most iconic goals in Olympic history, Hansen has become an European (2012), World (2019) and Olympic Champion (2016) with his country and delivered memorable performances on the greatest stages to rack up countless nominations as Top Goalscorer, All-Star Team Member and Most Valuable Player in international tournaments over the last 10+ years.
Peerless in Danish handball history, the 33-year-old has been named the IHF World Player of the Year on three occasions (2011, 2015 and 2018), a record he shares with Nikola Karabatic, his long-time club teammate (Paris St. Germain) and international foe (France), plus the man widely regarded as his main competition for the distinction as the greatest handball player of All-Time.
Teddy Riner (France 🇫🇷, Judo)
Distributing 130kg for a 2.03m frame, Teddy Riner cuts an imposing figure that has exerted almost unparalleled dominance on the tatamis since 2007, when, aged 18, he became the youngest Judo World Champion in history.
Born in the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe when his parents were on vacation, the Double Olympic Champion (2012 and 2016) and owner of an unprecedented ten World Championship gold medals has catapulted the sport into a new dimension competing on the heaviest judo category (+100kg). An insuperable blend of power, length, and athleticism, Riner went unmatched and unbeaten for an incredible 9 years and 5 months, recording 154 consecutive victories until Japanese Kokoro Kageura defeated him at – of all places – the 2020 Paris Grand Slam.
Nicknamed “Teddy Bear” for his smile and affable personality, for a man that once chose judo over team sports so that he could directly sway the outcome, any loss, especially on home soil, stings but will not deviate him from the stated goal ahead of the next Olympics. In Tokyo, Riner will emulate national hero Tadahiro Nomura if he manages to capture a third consecutive Olympic title.
Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia 🇱🇻, Basketball)
Standing at 2.21m, Kristaps Porzingis was always destined to stick out in a crowd regardless of his career of choice. However, few jobs he could have choosen entail the same scrutiny as being the face of an illustrious NBA franchise representing the citizens of cosmopolitan New York City, a world away from small Liepaja, Latvia, his hometown, or Seville, Spain, where he would arrive as a lanky 16-year-old with anemia and leave as one of the brightest young basketball players in the world.
Famously booed by NY Knicks fans in attendance after being selected No. 4 at the 2015 NBA Draft, the Latvian turned opinions around in the blink of an eye, flourishing into a uniquely versatile giant under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. The #PorzinGod worshipped by the NY fandom, the original “Basketball Unicorn”, who impressed opposing players and basketball fans for his combination of height, mobility and shooting range, and a hero to the population of his Baltic nation.
Although a serious knee injury suffered in early 2018 kept him out of the courts for almost two years and contributed to a hasty trade to the Dallas Mavericks, Porzingis’ best is probably still to come as the 25-year-old promises to band together for years to come with another European superstar on the cusp of eternal greatness.
Charles Leclerc (Monaco 🇲🇨, Formula One Racing)
If there is one thing that defines Monte Carlo and the riches of life at the Principality, it is, undoubtedly, the Monaco Grand Prix, the most iconic race in the Formula One Calendar. And If there is one car constructor associated with the greatest auto racing competition in the world, that is Scuderia Ferrari and their emblematic red racing cars.
Charles Leclerc, the fifth Monesgasque driver in F1 history, connects the two symbols to perfection, graduating from Ferrari Driver Academy with aplomb before snatching one of the team’s premium seats ahead of the 2019 season, the final stage of a trophy-laden progression through the youth ranks.
The son of a former Formula 3 driver and godson of the late Jules Bianchi, who died after a race crash in 2014, Leclerc did not take long to show his mantle, repaying Ferrari’s faith with two victories and a tour-best seven pole-positions in his debut season. At age 23, the expectation is that he will be the man to end the team’s drought in the Drivers Classification, which lasts since 2007, and become the first World Champion representing the Monésgasque microstate and its 39,300 inhabitants.
Epke Zonderland (Netherlands 🇳🇱, Gymnastics)
The Netherlands sport’s lore is brimming with athletes nicknamed as the Flying Dutchman, from footballers which seemed to float over the pitch, to drivers or swimmers that defied physics on their way to the finish line. However, in a way, artistic gymnasts of the highest ilk fit the bill better, flying gracefully through the air to the amazement of the crowds.
And amaze is something the light-haired Zonderland has done a lot during his horizontal and parallel bars routines since 2009, when he captured the first of six medals at the World Championships and earned the first of four nominations as Dutch Sportsman of the Year.
The first Dutch gymnast (male or female) to win an individual Olympic medal, capturing gold in London 2012 with a memorable performance in the horizontal bar, Epke “Wonderland” is also popular amongst gymnastics fans across the world for his sympathy and humility, with the 35-year-old’s legacy secured due to his eponymous skill, the Zonderland (“a Swing forward with 5/4 twist on one arm through handstand and Healy to support”).
Although his time in the sport is coming to an end – he plans to become a full-time doctor – Zonderland showed his mantle with World (2018) and European (2019) crowns in consecutive years and dreams of one final golden routine in Tokyo.
Kiril Lazarov (North Macedonia 🇲🇰, Handball)
If Macedonian handball has grown into a force to be reckoned in the Balkan region, where the sport enjoys tremendous tradition, talismanic sharpshooter Kiril Lazarov has a lot to do with it, as the long-time national team captain – and recently appointed national team coach – has been at the top of the game for close to two decades.
Widely regarded as one of the best right backs in history, Lazarov’s whip of his prodigious left arm and bucketloads of goals have meant one and the same thing during a career littered with a stunning array of goalscoring exploits. The single-edition All-time best marks at both the European (61 goals, 2012) and World Championships (92 goals in 2012) belong to Lazarov, and he is also the top scorer in EHF Champions League history, with over 1300 tallies to his name, more than 250 clear of his closest competition.
North Macedonia’s best ever athlete, the 41-year-old renewed his contract with French side HBC Nantes for another year to try to enlarge a trophy cabinet brimming with a count of League and National Cup medals from successful stints in Croatia, Hungary and Spain that already rivals his age.
Magnus Carlsen (Norway 🇳🇴, Chess)
In a sport that throughout the centuries has marvelled at child prodigy’s aplenty, Magnus Carlsen’s trajectory has vaulted him past the moniker and into the stuff of legends through sheer consistency.
A Grandmaster by age 13 and the youngest debutant in World Chess Championship history, Carlsen enlisted the legendary Garry Kasparov as a trainer in 2009 to help fast-track his ascent to the top of the FIDE World Rankings, a position he would ultimately assume at age 19, younger than all his predecessors.
That was his first step towards world dominance and the Norwegian has now been the top ranked player in the World for close to a decade – a period that his only surpassed by Kasparov – the reigning World Champion since 2013 and the man to reach the highest ever rating in history (2882), turning Carlsen into the undisputed face of chess.
Renowned for his endgame prowess and for also excelling in the faster versions of the game, as his current world titles in the rapid and blitz variants attest, the 30-year-old’s skills show no signs of decline and he could continue to reign for years to come, furthering his case as the best player the sport has ever seen.
Alexander Ovechkin (Russia 🇷🇺, Ice Hockey)
The Russian Tzar who has ruled in Washington for the last 15 years, Ovechkin was appointed as one of ice hockey’s shiniest lights from the moment he decided to cross the Atlantic ahead of his debut NHL season in 2005-06.
The first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals, “Ovi” bested Canadian prodigy and career archnemesis Sidney Crosby for the Calder trophy, awarded to the rookie of the year, in what would be the first of the many individual distinctions that furnish his trophy cabinet. A three-time regular season MVP and record nine-times NHL top goal scorer, the 35-year-old captained the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup victory in 2018 and has already breezed past 700 goals in North America to remain on course to beat Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 tallies.
A committed member of the Russian National Team, Ovechkin has helped secure three World Championship titles, but he is still looking to plug the only significant gap on his resume, the Olympic medal that eluded him in three previous participations. He should get another crack at it next year in Beijing, yet the result will not change the fact his name is already entrenched in ice hockey’s and Russia’s pantheon of all-time greats.
Part IV – International Stars
Wheeling a round puck 