# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published August 19, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-19-greatest-brazilian-athletes-of-all-time*

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## Current results (5 votes)

1. **Pele** — 80% (4 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Three World Cups and more than a thousand goals, the standard every Brazilian athlete is measured against.
2. **Cesar Cielo** — 20% (1 votes · score 524/1000)
   Olympic gold in the 50m freestyle and still the world record holder in the event.
3. **Robert Scheidt** — 0% (0 votes · score 512/1000)
   Five Olympic sailing medals across six Games, Brazil's most consistent Olympian.
4. **Ayrton Senna** — 0% (0 votes · score 468/1000)
   Three Formula 1 titles and 41 wins before his death at Imola in 1994.
5. **Hortencia Marcari** — 0% (0 votes · score 419/1000)
   Brazil's greatest basketball player, world champion in 1994 and Olympic silver medallist.
6. **Marta** — 0% (0 votes · score 419/1000)
   Six-time world player of the year and the all-time leading scorer at World Cups, men's or women's.
7. **Adhemar da Silva** — 0% (0 votes · score 419/1000)
   Won triple jump gold at two Olympics and broke the world record five times.
8. **Emerson Fittipaldi** — 0% (0 votes · score 419/1000)
   Two Formula 1 titles and two Indianapolis 500 wins, the first Brazilian world champion.
9. **Ronaldinho** — 0% (0 votes · score 419/1000)
   Two-time world player of the year whose 2005 Barcelona season won over even the Bernabeu.
10. **Anderson Silva** — 0% (0 votes · score 419/1000)
   Held a UFC title for 2,457 days, longer than anyone in the promotion's history.
11. **Rebeca Andrade** — 0% (0 votes · score 363/1000)
   Brazil's most decorated Olympian, with medals across three Games in gymnastics.
12. **Zico** — 0% (0 votes · score 363/1000)
   The best player never to win a World Cup, and Flamengo's greatest number 10.
13. **Nelson Piquet** — 0% (0 votes · score 299/1000)
   Three Formula 1 world titles across the turbo era.
14. **Romario** — 0% (0 votes · score 299/1000)
   Golden Ball winner at the 1994 World Cup and one of the sharpest finishers the game has had.
15. **Giba** — 0% (0 votes · score 226/1000)
   Led Brazil's volleyball team to Olympic gold and three world titles.
16. **Garrincha** — 0% (0 votes · score 226/1000)
   Won the 1962 World Cup almost alone after Pele was injured in the group stage.
17. **Amanda Nunes** — 0% (0 votes · score 226/1000)
   The first woman to hold two UFC belts simultaneously.
18. **Gustavo Kuerten** — 0% (0 votes · score 140/1000)
   Three French Open titles and a year-end world number one ranking in 2000.
19. **Ronaldo Nazario** — 0% (0 votes · score 140/1000)
   Two-time World Cup winner who came back from two knee reconstructions to win the 2002 Golden Boot.

Tags: sports, athletes, brazil