If we talk about the most decorated athletes in history, considering their absolute dominance in their sports and the number of major trophies won, a few legendary names from different disciplines come to the fore.

In individual sports, it's hard to dispute the supremacy of chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, who held the world champion title in three formats (classical, rapid, and blitz chess) simultaneously, and biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen, an eight-time Olympic champion in biathlon. In boxing, Manny Pacquiao remains unsurpassed in the number of title defenses — the only boxer in history to be an eight-time world champion across eight weight classes.

However, the true concentration of titles is observed in team sports, where the greatest players have won all possible trophies with both clubs and national teams. Here, Messi (football) and Michael Jordan (basketball) are unmatched. Messi is the record holder for the Ballon d'Or and holder of the full set of awards: World Cup, Copa América, multiple Champions League titles, and national championships. Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and six-time Finals MVP, set the absolute standard of dominance in his sport.

Separately stand athletes whose titles are innumerable due to the frequency of competitions, but whose lasting dominance is staggering. These are tennis players Novak Djokovic (the record holder for the number of Grand Slam titles and Masters titles) and Serena Williams with her 23 Grand Slams in the Open Era. And also swimmer Michael Phelps, the unique 23-time Olympic champion, whose medal collection has no parallel in Olympic history.

In motorsport, the apex is Lewis Hamilton, who shares the record for the number of Formula One World Championship titles (7) and surpasses all in wins and poles.

Thus, being decorated isn’t just a tally of trophies, but a fusion of unique long-term dominance, the completeness of the collection of awards (all major tournaments), and the transformation of one’s sport. By this aggregate criterion, the names of Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan, Novak Djokovic, Michael Phelps, and Lewis Hamilton most often appear in such discussions as the absolute pinnacles of sporting achievement.

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