Nominate the best individual sporting performance of all time!

For me, Lionel Messi’s performance against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final is the greatest sporting performance of all time because it was the purest and most complete demonstration of footballing genius. Watching that game, it seemed like Messi was playing in a different dimension to everyone else on the pitch.

First of all, the context makes it all the more special: it was a Champions League final, the ultimate stage for club football, against one of the world’s best teams, coached by Sir Alex Ferguson and featuring players like Rooney, Giggs and Ferdinand. This was no ordinary game; it was a battle between two giants, and Messi was not only ready, he dominated in every aspect.

What makes this performance legendary was his ability to influence the game in every area of ​​the pitch. Messi didn’t just score (and what a goal! A right-footed shot from outside the area that left Van der Sar immobile), he orchestrated the pace of the game with his dribbling, passing and vision. Every time he touched the ball, Manchester United seemed helpless, unable to stop him without committing fouls or retreating.

I remember how Messi combined with Xavi and Iniesta, creating triangles and spaces that no one seemed to see except him. It was virtually impossible to take the ball away from him. His agility, his speed of movement and his ability to maintain control under pressure were unreal. It was like watching an artist at work, painting the game with every touch.

But the most impressive thing was the emotional impact of that performance. Messi wasn’t just playing well; he was showing the world that he was the best, at the most important moment. It was as if he had been born for those nights. Watching him, you had the feeling of witnessing something unrepeatable, a level of perfection rarely seen in sport.

For me, that game defined Messi not just as a great footballer, but as a symbol of what it means to be the best in the world. He wasn’t just a player who shone in ordinary moments, but one who rose in extraordinary moments. And that, to me, is what makes his 2011 performance his best ever.

For me, the best performance by an athlete in history is the feat of swimmer Cesar Cielo (Brazil) in 2009. That year he broke TWO world records: the 50m freestyle in the long pool (50m) and the 100m freestyle in the long pool (50m).

What makes this incredible is that the 50m world record still stands today (we're talking 16 years later, in a sport where old records are soon surpassed by the very evolution of the sport)!

The world record for the 100m dash was only beaten by Romanian David Popovici in 2022 (14 years later!), which shows just how great Cesar Cielo's achievement is.

What makes me love this achievement even more is that he came from a country that doesn't have as much investment in sport. These are achievements that come from the dedication and struggle of individuals or small groups and this is incredible and deserves to be boasted about!

I'll leave the video of the two world records below:

This would become known as “The Korbut Flip”, “The DeadLoop” and “The Deathloop”.

Beside it got banned, they still doping adapt version and so on to bypass this.

Radka Zemanova (1980), Steffi Kraker (1977), Emily May (1981), Lyubov Bogdanova (1974) and Natalia Shaposhnikova (1976), Sophia Campana (2023)

So therfore the first person which found it and also got it banned was Olga Korbut.

Men's Freeski slopestyle final in Beijing 2022. Fantastic performances that take two Americans Alexander Hall and Nicholas Goepper to the top. Extraordinary performance that kept everyone glued with their eyes on the athletes.

Michael Phelps's swimming gold medal victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics is among the finest individual sports achievements of all time. Phelps broke the world record and exceeded his opponent by a hair with 50.58 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly contest.
Not only was he very fast and technically, but the very stressful backdrop of the event added to his amazing impression. Phelps nearly lost his gold medal except for his extraordinary mental toughness and ability. Phelps almost lost pace on the penultimate swim, but he persisted and focused to pull off the triumph.
Apart from the finest performance of the Games, this one represented an athlete's mental capacity, physical readiness, and endurance. Phelps finished gathering 8 gold medals in Beijing, a record not broken till today.