The 19 Greatest Brazilian Athletes of All Time

Footballers share the shortlist with a sailor, a gymnast and a swimmer. Deciding between them is the hard part.

1

Pele

Three World Cups and more than a thousand goals, the standard every Brazilian athlete is measured against.

1000pts

2

Cesar Cielo

Olympic gold in the 50m freestyle and still the world record holder in the event.

524pts

3

Robert Scheidt

Five Olympic sailing medals across six Games, Brazil's most consistent Olympian.

512pts

4

Ayrton Senna

Three Formula 1 titles and 41 wins before his death at Imola in 1994.

468pts

5

Hortencia Marcari

Brazil's greatest basketball player, world champion in 1994 and Olympic silver medallist.

419pts

6

Marta

Six-time world player of the year and the all-time leading scorer at World Cups, men's or women's.

419pts

7

Adhemar da Silva

Won triple jump gold at two Olympics and broke the world record five times.

419pts

8

Emerson Fittipaldi

Two Formula 1 titles and two Indianapolis 500 wins, the first Brazilian world champion.

419pts

9

Ronaldinho

Two-time world player of the year whose 2005 Barcelona season won over even the Bernabeu.

419pts

10

Anderson Silva

Held a UFC title for 2,457 days, longer than anyone in the promotion's history.

419pts

11

Rebeca Andrade

Brazil's most decorated Olympian, with medals across three Games in gymnastics.

363pts

12

Zico

The best player never to win a World Cup, and Flamengo's greatest number 10.

363pts

13

Nelson Piquet

Three Formula 1 world titles across the turbo era.

299pts

14

Romario

Golden Ball winner at the 1994 World Cup and one of the sharpest finishers the game has had.

299pts

15

Giba

Led Brazil's volleyball team to Olympic gold and three world titles.

226pts

16

Garrincha

Won the 1962 World Cup almost alone after Pele was injured in the group stage.

226pts

17

Amanda Nunes

The first woman to hold two UFC belts simultaneously.

226pts

18

Gustavo Kuerten

Three French Open titles and a year-end world number one ranking in 2000.

140pts

19

Ronaldo Nazario

Two-time World Cup winner who came back from two knee reconstructions to win the 2002 Golden Boot.

140pts