Who Is the Coolest Athlete in the World Right Now?

Ranker Sports
Updated September 15, 2023 13.0K votes 1.5K voters
Over 1.5K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Who Is the Coolest Athlete in the World Right Now?
Voting Rules
Whether it's their sense of style, relaxed demeanor, or personality, who do you think are the coolest athletes right now?
Latest additions: Connor McDavid, Lewis Hamilton
Most divisive: LeBron James

Determining the coolest athletes in the world right now can be pretty subjective, but we all have a general idea of cool, and we all have an idea of who we think is cool. So, when it comes to athletes and the sports world in general, everyone can think of a certain player or star who exudes coolness. Whether they have a nice sense of fashion off the court (perhaps making GQ's coolest list) or just have that who-cares attitude when they're competing, some athletes are just naturally cool. 

Who should make this list of cool athletes? NBA star Russell Westbrook has long been a leader in style among fellow players, while baseball players like Charlie Blackmon and his beard (plus the fact he still drives his Jeep from high school) are pretty cool. Then you have one of soccer's coolest players, Lionel Messi, who can be considered quite the cool guy with his lack of flopping and overall mellow attitude on and off the field. Or how about speedster Usain Bolt? Ever seen him fist bump that guy before a big race? Very cool. 

Are these some of the coolest athletes out right now? Check out the list below for more rad people from sports and vote up those who you think are simply the coolest current athletes. You can also feel free to add your own choices to the list. 

Ranked by
  • Tony Hawk
    1

    Tony Hawk

    Actor, Film Producer, Radio personality
    648 votes
    • Birthplace: USA, Carlsbad, California
    Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968) is an American professional skateboarder, actor and owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. Hawk is well known for completing the first documented 900 and for his licensed video game titles, published by Activision, and is widely considered to be one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern vertical skateboarding.In 2002, he created the "Boom Boom HuckJam", an extreme sports exhibition and tour that was launched in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, Hawk has made numerous appearances in films, other media, and his own series of video games. He has also been involved in various philanthropic activities, including his own Tony Hawk Foundation that helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas. In 2014, Hawk was named one of the most influential skateboarders of all time by FoxWeekly.
  • Lionel Messi
    2

    Lionel Messi

    Footballer, Football player
    863 votes
    • Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
    • Team: Paris Saint-Germain
    • Position: Forward
    Lionel "Leo" Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record six Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga and European league season (21) and the Copa América (17). He's scored over 750 senior career goals.
  • David Beckham
    3

    David Beckham

    Actor, Athlete, Model
    653 votes
    • Birthplace: England, London
    • Team: A.C. Milan
    • Position: Midfielder
    David Robert Joseph Beckham (UK: ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. He played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain and the England national team, for which he held the appearance record for an outfield player until 2016. He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States and France. He retired in May 2013 after a 20-year career, during which he won 19 major trophies.Beckham's professional club career began with Manchester United, where he made his first-team debut in 1992 at age 17. With United, he won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007, Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 at the age of 21. He was captain for six years, earning 58 caps during his tenure. He made 115 career appearances in total, appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1998, 2002 and 2006, and two UEFA European Championship tournaments, in 2000 and 2004. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending free-kicks as a right winger, Beckham has been hailed as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He was runner-up in the Ballon d'Or, twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2008. A global ambassador for the sport, Beckham is regarded as a British cultural icon.Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football, and in 2013 was listed as the highest-paid player in the world, having earned over $50 million in the previous 12 months. He has been married to Victoria Beckham since 1999 and they have four children. He has been a UNICEF UK ambassador since 2005, and in 2015 he launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund. In 2014, MLS announced that Beckham and a group of investors would own an Inter Miami CF, which will begin in 2020.
  • Steph Curry
    4

    Steph Curry

    Basketball player
    626 votes
    • Birthplace: Akron, Ohio
    • Team: Golden State Warriors
    • Position: Point guard
    Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II (born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time NBA All-Star, he has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and won three NBA championships with the Warriors. Many players and analysts have called him the greatest shooter in NBA history. He is credited with revolutionizing the game of basketball by inspiring teams to regularly employ the three-point shot as part of their winning strategy.In 2014–15, Curry won his first MVP award and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50–40–90. That same year, the Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA season en route to reaching the 2016 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Curry helped the Warriors return to the NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018, where they won back-to-back titles. Curry is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and older brother of current NBA player Seth Curry. He played college basketball for Davidson. There, he was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year and set the all-time scoring record for both Davidson and the Southern Conference. During his sophomore year, he also set the single-season NCAA record for three-pointers made. During the 2012–13 season, Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season with 272. He surpassed that record in 2015 with 286, and again in 2016 with 402. Curry is currently third in all-time made three-pointers in NBA history. The 2012–13 season saw Curry and teammate Klay Thompson earn the nickname of the Splash Brothers, with the pair going on to set the NBA record for combined three-pointers in a season with 484 in 2013–14, a record they broke the following season (525) and again in the 2015–16 season (678).
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
    5

    Cristiano Ronaldo

    Soccer Player
    734 votes
    • Birthplace: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
    • Team: Al Nassr
    • Position: Forward
    Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born February 5, 1985) is a Portuguese professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr and captains the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards[note 3] and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, the UEFA European Championship, and the UEFA Nations League. Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals in the European Championship (14), international goals (118), and joint-most international appearances (196). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances and has scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country. He is the only player to score in five FIFA World Cup tournaments.
  • Connor McDavid
    6

    Connor McDavid

    Hockey player
    100 votes
    • Birthplace: Newmarket, Canada
    • Team: Edmonton Oilers
    • Position: Center
    Connor McDavid (born January 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey center and captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered to be the best player in the world by many colleagues and members of the news media, he was called the "most highly evolved hockey player of all-time" by The Sports Network in December 2017. Having been selected first overall by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy twice as the leading scorer in the league, the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the player judged most valuable to his team, in 2017, and the Ted Lindsay Award twice as the best player voted by other NHL players.