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The 5 Greatest Sports Rivalries in Modern Times

In all sports there can only be one winner. Everyone else is a runner up or a loser. No one wants to be that person. This means that there's a huge amount of pressure on athletes to win. And let's not forget the huge sponsorship deals and paydays you can expect by being the best of the best. There's just a small coterie of players fighting to be top dog. You'll see the same faces over and over. Because of this, the media likes to create stories revolving around the making of sports rivalries.

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5 Greatest Sports Rivalries in Modern Times

Excelling in all sports is about being the GOAT. Anything less and you’re just a runner-up. And winning takes huge amounts of will power, skill and perseverance. As there can only ever be one person in the top spot, the competition to wear the crown is intense at that lofty level. So it’s not surprising to find a couple of sportsmen or athletes fighting tooth and nail for the first position. That’s how serious rivalries begin. And it’s the same story that more or less repeats itself at the end of every season. Let’s have a look at some of the most famous sports rivalries from recent years.

Christiano Ronaldo vs Messi: Sports Rivalries

This is probably the most famous sports rivalries of all head to heads in football. When you consider that they both played for La Liga teams for a total of nine seasons, it’s no surprise to find a deep rivalry. Each was nominated for the Golden Ball eleven times, with Messi taking the football jackpot trophy home six times. Here we have two players who are obviously in a league of their own. Whilst playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, their on-pitch abilities all but eclipsed those around them. There were many El Classico’s where it seemed the whole outcome of the match rested between these two amazing talents.

Then there were the fans, relentless in their backing of one champion over the other, as they scrutinised their chosen player’s action on the field. Today, many believe that the two players are evenly matched on the pitch. Maybe it could be argued that Messi is the better dribbler, and Ronaldo the better header. But you should also consider the age difference. Ronaldo is in his mid-thirties. And yet he’s still playing forward roles. But now he runs less. It’s just not possible to keep up with a youngster of twenty years of age. Maybe after his football career, he’ll turn to poker.

Messi appears to have a higher market sponsorship value and can command much bigger fees than his rival. Whilst they are still playing, then the idea that this is one of the great sports rivalry will persist. If we’re betting on one of them, we like to use 22BET Sportsbook, as they have all betting football markets covered.

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: Sports Rivalries

When you think that tennis started as an amateur game for gentlemen, it has certainly changed from those halcyon days of straw hats and Pimms Number 1. Tennis today is an aggressive and punishing sport, where only the strongest have a chance to succeed. Unlike football, where players are scouted in their early teens, tennis is the sport where parents are pushing their kids from as young as 4 years of age. With all the major tennis men’s games taking place throughout a single season, then it was only natural that these two giants of the game would end up facing each other many times.

The media would lap it up and in some ways, actually cause these sports rivalries in order to create some drama. Whether at the Grand Slam or the ATP 1000 tourneys, more often than not, Nadal would win. So far he’s chalked up 24 wins to 16 from the Swiss. Maybe lefties have better luck. The problem for Federer is that Rafa is the King of Clay, a surface on which many of their championship matches are played. For example, every time the two meet at the Roland Garros finals, it’s on clay, and Rafa always takes the prize.

OK…we’ll grant you last year when Federer was victorious. But it wasn’t so much of a win, but rather Nadal lost thanks to a shoulder injury. But if you were betting on tennis, and looking for jackpot winning tips and tricks, then you’d be wiser to go with Rafa. We recommend 22BET Sportsbook as they have all the tennis options covered.

Sports Rivalries: Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier

Years ago, before the circus that is now professional wrestling and WWE, there was the noble sport of boxing. Long before the whole sport became corrupted with TV money, or foolish YouTubers, there was a purity about the sport and the boxers that took part. In those days, top boxers were icons and their words and deeds carried real social significance. Probably the greatest of sports rivalries in boxing was between Ali and Frazier. Their first bout was held in Madison Square Garden in New York on March 8th 1971.

This was such an amazing fight it was to go down in the history of boxing as “The Fight.” It went the whole way to 15 rounds, with neither boxer giving quarter to the other. In the end, Frazier was declared the winner, and by quite a margin.

The problem for Ali was that he didn’t have any answers to Frazier’s style of boxing. But he learned. Their next match would see Ali go on to win as he was able to tame Frazier’s effective and deadly left hook. Still, winners need to win two out of three, and so there was another re-match in October 1975. Ali rose once again to the occasion, wearing Frazier down with a constant barrage of punches that landed on target. By the end of the match, Frazier’s eyes were so bloated and swollen, that he could hardly see.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan vs John Higgins

In the early 80s to the end of the century, snooker was was of the most popular sports shown on TV. Before that, there was nothing. And suddenly, coming to TV brought forth new names in an old sport. Further more, it was purely TV that drove the popularity of snooker, as the venues tended to be on the smaller side. But this world-wide audience was to create millionaires out of some top-level players. And two of the most famous were Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins. Every time they met, their sports rivalries were always played up for the audience.

They have each played 28 professional top level sessions against each other, as well as other lesser matches. As players, they were so evenly matched that bookies made them a favourite feature. They have fought 17 times in finals, 11 times in semi-finals and 21 times in quarter-finals. O’Sullivan has won the majority of matches and has a career earnings total of over £11 million to prove it. In their most recent meeting at the Champion of Champions Tournament, they met in the quarter-finals. Making use of clever jackpot winning strategies, O’Sullivan emerged victorious at the end of the game with a 6 to 3 frame win.

To think back to when they first meet at the Crucible Theatre in 1996. That was a final and O’Sullivan beat Higgins 13 to 12 frames. Having said that, the Scot has a 3 : 2 win record over O’Sullivan when they meet at the World Championships.

Sports Rivalries: Usain Bolt vs Tyson Gay

In football, you can shine partly with thanks to the excellent play from your teammates, who help create the possibilities for you to score. But with running you are more or less alone. Yes, we know that you can have pacemakers running beside you, but all the effort and reward comes from within a single athlete acting alone. In their prime, these two were top of their game. Their fierce sports rivalries was the stuff of headlines. But looking into their achievements, then we see that Bolt was the clear winner. In fact, if you want to win the jackpot online, the Bolt’s the one to back.

In 2009 at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, we can see how two men go about trying to defeat each other. In this race, Bolt outdid himself and beat his previous record to win the 100 meters in an astounding 9.58 seconds. This record still stands to this day. One year later, and Gay was to be victorious at the 100 meters at the Diamond League event. But there were also occasions when the cocky Jamaican would shoot his mouth off. Usain Bolt has a habit of dissing Gay and once even criticised the sporting bodies for not banning Gay for doping. Their sports rivalries have no love lost or respect between them.

The 5 Greatest Sports Rivalries in Modern Times – Which One Is It?

There are just too many parameters needed to judge one sportsman above another, in order to claim one as being the greatest. It’s not just down to the number of wins or goals scored. That’s because many of the great sports rivalries are created by the media to increase sales. Being the greatest implies maturity and respectful nature in the face of both winning and losing. It’s a position from where an athlete can inspire others to strive to be better within themselves. To be the greatest of all time is quite something. But without respect from both your peers and supporters, then it’s a hollow trophy.