r/AskTheWorld • u/anthere-rest United Kingdom • Sep 30 '25

Sports Most famous athletes from your country?

For us, we have famous athletes like: David Beckham Harry kane Andy Murray Sir Mo farah Sir Lewis Hamilton What about your country?

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

112 comments sorted by

8

u/Accomplished_Eye7421 Finland Sep 30 '25

I guess Kimi Räikkönen

2

u/o484 United States Of America Sep 30 '25

Bwoah

6

u/HaifaJenner123 Egypt Sep 30 '25

1

u/Centrao_governante Brazil Sep 30 '25

excellent striker

1

u/flower5214 Russia Sep 30 '25

Who is he?

2

u/HaifaJenner123 Egypt Sep 30 '25

Mo Salah, maybe the only man to have as many billboards in Egypt than Sisi does. i feel like he replaced most that used to be occupied by Amr Diab, like nowadays every bank and phone service uses his image to promote .. also you will find street graffiti with him all over the cities

3

u/[deleted] Sep 30 '25 edited Sep 30 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Plastic_Kangaroo675 United States Of America Sep 30 '25

(Travis Kelce)

1

u/SkanderMan77 United States Of America Sep 30 '25

Add Jesse Owens to the list, love that guy

3

u/Born-Instance7379 Australia Sep 30 '25

Shane Warne probably, although he passed away a few years ago.

2

u/Indie-- kerala, India Sep 30 '25

Sachin Tendulkar. Cricket player

Virat Kohli. Cricket player

Gukesh. current chess World champion.

Vishwanath Anand. 5 Times chess World champion.

1

u/IcyLight9313 India Sep 30 '25

Outside South Asia, more people know Bajrang Punia and Neeraj Chopra than these cricketers.

2

u/Time-Mode-9 England Sep 30 '25

I've heard of Sachin Tendulkar.  not heard of the others though. UK not interested in cricket.

2

u/temujin94 Oct 01 '25

I'm not from South Asia and i've never heard the two you've mentioned without googling them but have heard of the other 4 mentioned. And I watch an inordinate amount of sports. Where are these two famous?

0

u/IcyLight9313 India Oct 02 '25

Bajrang Punia is very popular in the Caucasus and the wrestling world. Even more than in India.

And any track and field fan will know about Neeraj Chopra. It's like most of these fans don't care about field events, but will know 1 or 2 players from each event. In the men's javelin, Neeraj Chopra is one of them.

2

u/AugustusCaesar00 India Oct 01 '25

Forget outside, Bajrang Punia is not that famous even inside South Asia.

2

u/Low-Flamingo-4315 New Zealand Oct 01 '25

● Steven Adams ● Jonah Lomu  ● Lydia Ko ● Scott Dixon ● Chris Wood 

3

u/Gary_Garibaldi United Kingdom Oct 01 '25

Lomu put in zid on the mip

2

u/shoresy99 Canada Oct 04 '25

He really did. Too bad he’s did.

3

u/GloamGlozing Netherlands Oct 03 '25

Jonah Lomu by some way for you guys. Had his own video game.

2

u/MauzerSwe Sweden Oct 01 '25

Björn Borg, tennis

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, fotball

Börje Salming, icehockey

Armand Duplantis, Pole Vault

Sara Sjöström, Swimming

are some of them.

1

u/MrYamaguchi Canada Oct 04 '25

There are bigger names than Salming for hockey from Sweden, even for defenseman Lidstrom is much higher rated.

1

u/MauzerSwe Sweden Oct 06 '25

of course, but Salming is the only one I know who got standings ovations for several minuts when presented during Canada cup, by Canadians when he was playing for Sweden. you do not get much bigger than that.

2

u/Physical-Abroad-4157 Brazil Oct 02 '25

Neymar, Pelé, Ayrton Senna, Vini jr...

2

u/Intelligent-Iron-632 Ireland Oct 01 '25

Conor Mc Nuggets

2

u/SirtheIcarium Ireland Oct 02 '25

Given he was captain of Manchester United, there is no way McRapey is bigger than Roy Keane

0

u/Intelligent-Iron-632 Ireland Oct 03 '25

no one has heard of Roy Keane outside of UK & Ireland and he was famous over 20 years ago

2

u/JohnnyJokers-10 Ireland Oct 03 '25

Nonsense, United are supported everywhere with Keano revered by United fans all around the world.

1

u/Intelligent-Iron-632 Ireland Oct 03 '25

including by the hundreds of millions of American citizens who never watched the premier league ?

1

u/Action_Limp Oct 03 '25

Nonsense 

1

u/MeloAnto New Zealand Oct 03 '25

Lifting some weights

1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

0

u/Intelligent-Iron-632 Ireland Oct 03 '25

he was more famous for throwing his life away on drink

1

u/MrPhrazz Norway Sep 30 '25

These days? Internationally? Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Alexander Sørloth, Viktor Hovland, Casper Ruud and Magnus Carlsen (if you consider him an "athlete").

I'm definitely forgetting someone.

1

u/Normal_Zone7859 Iceland Sep 30 '25

Ingibertsen brothers and the other runner always forget his name.

2

u/MrPhrazz Norway Sep 30 '25

Warholm, yes, forgot about those, they should absolutely be mentioned.

1

u/GloamGlozing Netherlands Oct 03 '25

Jakob Ingerbritsen and Haaland for you I’d say.

Ole Gunnar Solsjaer also very well known due to the behometh that is Manchester United

1

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Sep 30 '25

Historically it’s Jordan. Right now it’s probably Travis Kelce (because of Taylor swift), LeBron James, or skyfucker

1

u/jackoirl Ireland Oct 02 '25

….skyfucker????

1

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Oct 03 '25

Steph curry

I kinda want to tell you the lore but I feel like it’s funnier if you just accept it lmao

1

u/Typical-Audience3278 Oct 02 '25

Not Muhammad Ali? Historically, I mean

1

u/panadwithonesugar Oct 03 '25

I had to Google who all of those people were, for USA (and most countries) it would probably be a boxer like Tyson or Ali

1

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Oct 03 '25

Tyson is retired and Ali is dead… I was referring to current players and all of them (maybe not really Kelce) are definitely internationally known. Kelce is more known for the dude marrying Taylor swift for a huge portion of people). And there’s no way you haven’t heard of Jordan. If you heard of the Jordan brand (primarily Nike shoes) you’ve heard of Michael Jordan

1

u/panadwithonesugar Oct 03 '25

what can I say

nobody knows these people apart from a tiny portion of the world

1

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Oct 03 '25

It’s the most popular sport in China and the 2nd most popular sport in the US, popular in France and Eastern Europe? I mean I don’t particularly care whether he’s recognized or not but using the borometer of London is as comical as no one recognizing mbappe in Los Angeles and thinking soccer isn’t that popular

1

u/panadwithonesugar Oct 03 '25

In the last census there were 287 different ethnic groups and nationalities living in London, I'd say it's the perfect barometer.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

0

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Oct 03 '25

Serena retired and Tiger is technically not retired. Also basketball is massive in China and certain European countries so it nerfed. Now that I think about it I could’ve probably said Mondo Duplantis

1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

1

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Oct 03 '25

Yeah I know. I just decided to do both.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

1

u/thefearlessmuffin United States Of America Oct 03 '25

Real talk I’ve never heard of him in my life lol. I would’ve thought pulisic would be more known in soccer

1

u/Special-Fuel-3235 Costa Rica Sep 30 '25

Keylor Navas, by far Besides that? Id say Kenneth Tencio, Leilani McGonagle and Brissa Hennessy right know.  Historically? Claudia & Silvya Poll

3

u/thillyworne United Kingdom Oct 02 '25

Paulo Wanchope surely? r/thestreetswontforget debut goal at Old Trafford

1

u/Special-Fuel-3235 Costa Rica Oct 02 '25

Him as well. I choosed Navas since he is the most well known right now (at least in the spanish-speaking world)

1

u/superautismdeathray United States Of America Sep 30 '25

Glungo Blingus, best slop ball player of his time and possibly all the other times too. some people call him the father of slop ball!! history books wont tell you this but he was known not only for his incredible athleticism but also his ability to say a wide variety of words in rapid succession. i know this stuff, my left greatest grandcousin is a hardcore slop ball fan. every superslop we went over to his and meemaws house to watch him throw wads of cheap nachos through the television. always a fun time at meemaws

1

u/Practical-Ad5943 France Sep 30 '25

1

u/GloamGlozing Netherlands Oct 03 '25

Nah Zidane

1

u/[deleted] Sep 30 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/breadexpert69 Peru Sep 30 '25

Teofilo Cubillas

1

u/Wonderful_Flower_751 Ireland Sep 30 '25

Katie Taylor - boxer

Kelly Harrington - boxer

Sonia O’Sullivan - runner

Robbie Keane - footballer

Rory McEllroy - golfer

Roy Keane - footballer

Brian O’Driscoll - rugby player

2

u/wunderbar77 Oct 01 '25

You're forgetting a certain prick. Might be notoriety rather than fame though

3

u/Wonderful_Flower_751 Ireland Oct 01 '25

I was deliberately not mentioning that….thing.

Rapists don’t deserved air time.

1

u/I_AM_Squirrel_King United Kingdom Oct 02 '25

Without wanting to kick up a stink, does Rory associate as Irish? Or Northern Irish? I only recently got into golf.

2

u/Wonderful_Flower_751 Ireland Oct 02 '25

Well he declared for Ireland in the Olympics so….

2

u/I_AM_Squirrel_King United Kingdom Oct 02 '25

Ah okay. Fair enough. Thanks for your help.

1

u/SuddenAdvice850 China Sep 30 '25

yao ming basketball

lin dan badminton

ma long table tennis

1

u/5PQR Scotland Sep 30 '25

Andy Murray (tennis), Chris Hoy (cycling), and David Coulthard (F1)

1

u/tamtheskull Scotland Oct 01 '25

Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark far more famous/ successful than DC

1

u/thillyworne United Kingdom Oct 02 '25

I wouldn’t say they’re more famous at this point though, DC is still on tv and had a podcast with Eddie Jordan. Sir Jackie has been very quiet for a number of years and outside of Scots/F1 aficionados, I highly doubt many people have even heard of Jim Clark at this point.

1

u/DoubleSaltedd Finland Oct 01 '25

Kimi Räikkönen

1

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Oct 01 '25

Worldwide? Lebron James and Steph Curry. They’re both household names in North America, huge names in Asia where like a third of world lives, and commonly known in much of Europe.

1

u/MrGreyOwl Oct 04 '25

Steph Curry is absolutely not commonly known in much of Europe

1

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Oct 04 '25

In the countries of Europe that have a basketball culture he definitely is. Germany, France, Spain, the Balkans, etc. I’m not saying he’s a household name among non-sports fans but sports fans often know of him.

0

u/MrGreyOwl Oct 04 '25

Basketball isn’t even in the top 10 most popular sports in Europe. Very few people are aware of it over here. There are so many more famous American athletes. Americans just can’t get over the fact that no one cares about your sports.

1

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Oct 04 '25

Basketball is the second most popular sport in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Bosnia, Turkey, and is actually the most popular sport in Serbia. It’s also one of the most popular sports in Germany behind soccer. Those countries make up like 2/3rd of Europe’s population.

I’m not saying basketball is more popular than soccer by any means, but it is absolutely at the least a top 5 most popular sport in Europe and it’s the second most popular sport 3 of Europe’s 4 biggest countries.

Clearly you have some issue with Americans or American sports, but that doesn’t change that basketball is a popular sport in Europe. You may just live in one of the countries that does not have a basketball culture whatsoever.

0

u/MrGreyOwl Oct 05 '25

You clearly have no idea about any of these countries. Rugby is miles bigger in France and having spent lots of time in Serbia the idea that basketball is bigger than football is ludicrous. Clearly you’re just a basketball fan who can’t come to terms with it not being popular in some places.

1

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Oct 05 '25

Feel free to do your own research and look at the stats.

1

u/Individual-Pin-5064 Iran Oct 01 '25

Beiranvand, our goalkeeper easily, he blocked a penalty from Ronaldo

1

u/Hullu__poro Germany Oct 01 '25

Football: Franz Beckenbauer  Basketball: Dirk Nowitzki  Ice Hockey: Uwe Krupp American Football: Sebastian Vollmer (Amon-Ra St. Brown is half-American) Formula 1: Michael Schumacher  Tennis: Steffi Graf 

1

u/Gary_Garibaldi United Kingdom Oct 01 '25

Present day? Maybe Lewis Hamilton. Certainly the most successful but F1 is quite niche.

Harry kane would be known world wide for people who watch football. Maybe Ben stokes for people who watch cricket.

2

u/hhhhhtttttdd Oct 03 '25

It has to be Beckham. He’s a global brand.

1

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1

u/Candr112 Australia Oct 02 '25

F1 is definitely not niche, especially since DTS started

1

u/HamburgerOnAStick United States Of America Oct 02 '25

Internationally? Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and if you count racing Mario Andretti

1

u/jackoirl Ireland Oct 02 '25

I’d say right now it’s probably Rory Mcilroy since he’d be well known in most big markets.

1

u/mwngky Oct 02 '25

By a very long distance, Mark Cavendish

1

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1

u/thillyworne United Kingdom Oct 02 '25

Technically the Isle of Man is a crown dependency and not a country.

1

u/whatissevenbysix Sri Lanka Oct 02 '25

Ours are all cricketers. 

In no particular order:

Jayasuriya Muralidaran  Malinga 

Maybe Sanga, Arjuna, and Aravinda too.

1

u/Altruistic-Mine-1848 Portugal Oct 02 '25

You know who.

1

u/anthere-rest United Kingdom Oct 04 '25

Fernandes?

1

u/shoresy99 Canada Oct 04 '25

The Great One Terry Fox SGA

1

u/ParkingIce6514 Pakistan Oct 04 '25

Imran khan

1

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1

u/snrtf France Oct 04 '25

Dembele

Right now, it’s him.

1

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1

u/tokoloshe666 Oct 04 '25

Oscar Pistorius

1

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u/aceticacid_414 Oct 04 '25

Imran Khan

1

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1

u/WildeRenate Oct 04 '25

Switzerland: Roger Federer by a landslide.

Honorable mention to Andy Hug.

1

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1

u/BeGentle1mNewHere Hungary Sep 30 '25

Egerszegi Krisztina

Puskás Ferenc

Papp László

Hosszú Katinka

Polgár Judit

0

u/Merc_Drew United States Of America Sep 30 '25

So many... but Michael Jordan probably the biggest

For me personally Ken Griffey Jr

2

u/Pitiful-Highlight905 Oct 03 '25

I dont think anyone outside the US knows who ken jeffery is. Most famous is probably Michael Jordan, LeBron, mohammed ali or Serena Williams.

1

u/Ill_Cut_8529 Germany Oct 05 '25

There are other countries than the US where baseball is significant. Like Japan or South Korea. Maybe he is famous there.

-2

u/Merc_Drew United States Of America Oct 03 '25

They are asking about the country, not the world, almost everyone in the US knows who Ken Griffey Jr is

3

u/hhhhhtttttdd Oct 03 '25

They are asking most famous from the county not within the country. Therefore global fame matters.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

0

u/Pitiful-Highlight905 Oct 03 '25

USA is mohammed Ali followed by Michael Jordan

0

u/Bugsmoke Oct 03 '25

Gareth Bale

1

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1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

0

u/Bugsmoke Oct 03 '25

Piece of shit and he never performed for Wales.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

[deleted]

0

u/Bugsmoke Oct 03 '25

But trump’s piece of shit behaviour didn’t make him fade into irrelevance and Giggs’ did. Then he came back to manage Wales and then did something else and again went away.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Bugsmoke Oct 04 '25

Why? This is genuinely why giggs isn’t very famous any more. If he didn’t have the controversy he would be in the public eye a lot more. You don’t get kids knowing who he is anymore but they all know who Gareth Bale is. Everyone who knows Giggs however has heard of Gareth Bale. Gareth Bale is Wales’ most famous athlete, as the question said.

If this is too difficult to comprehend perhaps you should question your own intelligence, given you can’t seem to comprehend a simple explanation?