My first Publication FINALVERSION | Page 8

WHO IS THE GOAT? Pato de la Garza If you’re not familiar with sport, the term may come as a bit of a to you, but rest assured, it does not refer to a farmyard animal. Those who use social media may have happened across the term ‘GOAT’ being used in association with the best sports starts in the world. Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, Tom Brady and LeBron James are just some of the names that have been branded the GOAT. The likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are also regularly present on similar lists of elite-level athletes. GOAT (or G.O.A.T.) is an acronym which stands for ‘greatest of all time’. It is a tag which is reserved for the individual who is deemed to be the undisputed master of their sport. As well as exceptional talent, in order to be considered the GOAT, the individual must also maintain a consistent high level of achievement. Football’s GOAT is a matter of continuous debate within the community, but the consensus in recent years has narrowed the question down to one of two players: Ronaldo or Messi. The very nature of the game means that there is no hard and fast method by which to measure who exactly is the greatest of all time, but that reality hasn’t stopped the arguments. 8