Ronaldo, Tyson, Bolt, Pele, Messi, Mayweather: The top 50 greatest athletes of all time

Muhammad Ali, Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods are just some of the names in the conversation about the greatest athlete of all time.

With so many disciplines and eras to weigh up, the question of sport's overall GOAT will always prove an impossible one, but that doesn't make it any less fun for fans to discuss.

And with Tom Brady reportedly set to hang up his cleats as not only one of the finest American Football players in history, but one of the greatest athletes, period, the debate came to our minds once again.

Now, as much as we could try to nail our colours to the mast by naming our pick for the athlete to end all athletes, no doubt you'll agree that this is a matter best decided upon by the supporters.

After all, collating together fan opinions is perhaps the fairest way for the complications of different sports and time periods to be traversed and diluted down into one big expression of people's views.

And that's where the thetoptens.com comes in because their interactive list on the "Greatest Athletes of All Time," is arguably the perfect way for fans to settle the GOAT debate once and for all.

Setting out the premise, the vote's description clarifies: "For the purpose of this list, athletic greatness is defined as possessing a variety of attributes that contribute to athletic prowess.

"These include speed, quickness, endurance, power and hand-eye coordination. That is why this list does not include specialized athletes such as marathon runners or bicyclists.

"While it is clear that Lance Armstrong is a master in his field, he has not proven that he could compete in other sports where more is required than pumping his thighs for hours on end."

With sports lovers able to up-vote and