The 27 most dominant athletes of 2019

The play of forward Sadio Mané has been a critical part of Liverpool's recent run of success, including a Champions League title in 2019 and a brilliant start to this the Premier League season. Mané leads the team along with Mo Salah with nine goals so far this year, and along with Roberto Firmino, makes up the most fearsome trio of forwards that exists in club soccer.

Liverpool has the chance to take both the Premier League and Champions League title this year, and Mané's stellar scoring and creation is a big part of their success. — Tyler Lauletta

After winning the first-ever women's Ballon d'Or, Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg somehow bested her already historic marks from last year with a sensational 2019 showing.

Although she famously refuses to play at the international level due to sexism within the Norwegian federation, Hegerberg scored 20 goals in 20 games during her 2018-19 season with her club team, Lyon. She earned Player of the Match honors for her performance in the 2019 UEFA Women's Champions League Final.

Hegerberg became the first woman to register a hat trick in a UWCL final — and did so in just 16 minutes — to lead Lyon to its fourth consecutive UWCL trophy. In October of this year, the 24-year-old became the UEFA Women's Champions League all-time top scorer after netting her 53rd goal in her 50th league appearance. — Meredith Cash

Joe Burrow wasn't supposed to be here.

Heading into the 2019 college football season, the LSU quarterback was hardly on anyone's radar — an afterthought to even the most forward-thinking NFL draft scouts. But on the field, Burrow quickly made himself undeniable, leading the Tigers through an undefeated season and wins over some of the toughest teams in the country.

The runaway Heisman winner finished the season completing 78% of his passes for 4,715 yards, 48 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, and now has LSU on the cusp of in more than a decade. — Tyler Lauletta

In 2018-19, James Harden became just the sixth player in NBA history to average over 35 points per game over a full season, with 37.1 per game. How has he followed it up in 2019-20? With absurd 39 points per game through nearly a third of the season.

With a combination of feline quickness, bulldozer strength, and feathery touch, Harden makes a living from three spots on the floor: the rim, the free-throw line, and the three-point line. Love or hate how he does it, Harden is the best scorer of a generation and one of the best scorers of all-time. — Scott Davis

Rookie edge rusher Nick Bosa made an immediate impact on the San Francisco defense and is a big part of the team's rise to the top of the NFC this season.

Bosa has nine sacks, a pick, and a forced fumble through his first year in the NFL, but anyone watching his games will see his impact goes far beyond the stats he puts up in the box score. Bosa is a swarm of humanity, a constant presence in the opposing backfield causing lousy decision after lousy decision.

In a few years, he may be defensive player of the year, but it only took a few weeks for Bosa to establish himself as a force in the NFL. — Tyler Lauletta

Jorge Masvidal owns the knockout of the year, and with it, he is undoubtedly one of our most dominant athletes of 2019.

While he had been fighting with UFC for the better part of the decade, Masvidal's flying knee to knockout of Ben Askren in just five seconds immediately caught the interest of sports fans around the world. His flair for a great promotion has since turned him into a bonafide superstar.

Masvidal went 3-0 in his fights this year and currently stands as one of the top-ranked welterweights in the company. While a title fight might be in his future, the bigger money might come against fellow foul-mouth Conor McGregor.

Whatever 2020 has in store for Masvidal, it will be thrilling for fight fans. — Tyler Lauletta

Sabrina Ionescu is the all-time career triple-doubles leader in NCAA history, a feat she managed to achieve less than two years into her career with the Oregon Ducks. Ionescu has tacked on an additional seven triple-doubles since matching the previous record 12 triple-doubles two years ago.

Thanks to her 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game last season, the point guard won the John R. Wooden award alongside Duke's Zion Williamson in 2019. Even though she likely would have been the top pick in this year's WNBA draft, she chose to return to Oregon for her senior season in pursuit of a national championship. — Meredith Cash

Virgil van Dijk is one of the best defenders alive, and along with his trio of superstar forwards, has Liverpool cruising through a brilliant stretch of play.

After years of the race for the Ballon d'Or being dominated by Messi and Ronaldo, van Dijk got his due this year, coming in second after besting Ronaldo and coming just a few points shy of taking down Messi to win the award.

Van Dijk is not just a lock-down defender for the Reds, but a true leader, stepping up in big moments for the club and was named man of the match at the 2019 Champions League final after helping his side keep a clean sheet against Tottenham to lift the trophy.

Whatever successes Liverpool finishes the year with, Van Dijk is at the heart of it. — Tyler Lauletta

If not for Lamar Jackson's sensational season in Baltimore, veteran Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson almost certainly would have earned NFL MVP accolades for the first time in his esteemed career.

The 2014 Super Bowl champion earned his seventh career NFL Pro-Bowl bid thanks to a career-high 264.9 yards per game and 8.3 yards per attempt throw 14 games this season. He also boasts a 67.4 completion percentage and 1.1 interception percentage on the year.

Perhaps most impressive, however, are Wilson's late-game heroics; he's earned four fourth-quarter comebacks and led five game-winning drives to help Seattle to an NFC-best 11-3 record on the season. — Meredith Cash

Zion Williamson had one of the most impressive and most dominant single seasons in all of college basketball history, nonetheless last season. Duke's star freshman — who was famous for his high-flying dunks and ridiculous vertical leap despite a 6-foot-7, 285-pound frame — proved that he was more than just a dunker through unprecedented efficiency and mastery on both ends of the floor.

Williamson wrapped up his collegiate career with an impressive 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and 68% shooting from the field. That was good enough to sweep postseason honors and become the first freshman to win the Naismith College Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award since Anthony Davis earned both honors in 2012.

The New Orleans Pelicans selected Williamson with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and even though he has yet to play in the NBA due to injury, he's widely expected to save an otherwise struggling franchise. — Meredith Cash

Though she is not one of the flashy goal scorers of the US Women's National Team, Julie Ertz has made herself the heart and soul of the group. The 27-year-old bruiser never shies away from a slide tackle or a contended header while commanding the center of the field as the USWNT's defensive middie. On the other end of the field, Ertz is known as a set-piece specialist. She showed off her skills on the international stage with a stunning header off of a corner kick during the USWNT's group stage match against Chile.

Ertz plays for the National Women's Soccer League's Chicago Red Stars at the club level. A captain for one of the league's best teams, Ertz started in 14 games at midfielder and center back and led Chicago to its first-ever NWSL title game appearance before falling to the North Carolina Courage.

Thanks to her efforts in Europe and stateside, Ertz earned US Soccer women's 2019 Player of the Year honors for the second time in her career. — Meredith Cash

How unwise is it to throw to a receiver being covered by Stephon Gillmore? According to Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks posted a higher passer rating while throwing away the ball than they did throwing at Gillmore.

Rated the No. 1 cornerback by PFF in 2018, Gillmore and the Patriots somehow stepped it up a level in 2019. Gillmore blankets opposing receivers, often taking the No. 1 receiving threat out of the action altogether. Through 15 games this season, no receiver has had more than seven catches against the Patriots, and only one has gone for more than 100 yards. It's a team effort, and Gillmore leads the charge. — Scott Davis

Trevor Lawrence hasn't lost this year.

His year began with a win in the national championship — a 44-16 absolute dismantling of an Alabama team that had entered the game undefeated. Lawrence threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns in that game and was named MVP of the game. Pretty good for a freshman.

Since then, Lawrence still hasn't lost, leading Clemson to another undefeated season. So far, the Tigers offense has been held below 40 points just three times this year. If he and the Tigers can keep up that success, they should have a good chance to become back-to-back champions. — Tyler Lauletta

One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, "Canelo" Alvarez hasn't lost a fight since 2013, against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

At one point, Alvarez held titles in three different weight classes, most recently giving up his light heavyweight belt only because he had to comply with boxing rules. Quick and powerful, Alvarez is the face of boxing, and at 29, his resumé only figures to grow. — Scott Davis

Elena Delle Donne has been among the WNBA's brightest stars since she joined the league seven years ago, but 2019 was a banner year for the 6-foot-5 sharpshooter. Delle Donne posted 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game en route to winning her second WNBA MVP award and becoming the first player in the league's 23-year history to join the esteemed 50-40-90 club.

But personal hardware wasn't enough for Delle Donne this time around, as she played through three herniated discs, a broken nose, and a bone bruise in her right knee to help secure the Washington Mystics' first WNBA championship. She'll start the next decade mining for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after having dominated the field with Team USA four years ago in Rio de Janeiro. — Meredith Cash

Of the athletes on this list, Giannis Antetokounmpo perhaps best exemplifies physical "dominance." The 6-foot-11 "Greek Freak" is simply too long, too strong, and too fast for any person to defend. It's not unusual to see Antetokounmpo blow by a defender, get to the rim, then reach over and through several other help defenders to dunk the ball.

At 26, the reigning MVP is putting up 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists per night and has wrestled away the crown for best player in the world. — Scott Davis

Widely considered one of, if not the best soccer player of all time, Barcelona's Lionel Messi closed out a dominant decade with one of his most sensational years to date.

The Argentinian wonder won his record sixth career Ballon d'Or after scoring a combined 46 goals and three hat tricks in 54 club and country appearances in the calendar year. With a 68.5 winning percentage in that span, Messi became the all-time winningest player in La Liga and FC Barcelona history en route to earning his 10th career La Liga title with Barcelona.

The lightning-fast midfielder extended his record for the most European Golden Shoe victories. He became the first player to win the scoring title in three consecutive seasons after finishing 2019 with 36 goals through 34 games. — Meredith Cash

In his first full season as a starting quarterback, Lamar Jackson completely upended the power structure of the NFL. What was supposed to be a year of the Browns coronation in the AFC North, Jackson and the Ravens obliterated, just as they ran over nearly every opponent they faced this season.

Jackson has impressed both on the ground and through the air, topping Michael Vick to set a new record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season, while also leading the league with 36 touchdowns thrown.

Jackson is now the inevitable MVP but is likely more focused on his team's potential for a Super Bowl run. After seeing what he did through the regular season, there's no doubt he can do it. — Tyler Lauletta

Once the most dominant athlete on the planet, Tiger Woods had numerous starts and stops throughout the decade. Between ongoing back issues and his 2017 arrest, it was unclear if Woods would ever be able to compete with the best in the world again.

But Woods closed the 2018 season strong and back at Augusta National, cemented his legend once more with a brilliant performance over four days in April.

Woods' year didn't stop there, as he would go on to lead the Americans to a massive comeback victory in the President's Cup to close out 2019.

UFC has been searching for their next superstar since Conor McGregor decided to try his hand at boxing. While some impressive candidates have emerged, no fighter has proven to be the total package quite like Israel Adesanya.

The undefeated middleweight champion is a true showman, with dynamic entrances and devastating finishes to his fights.

After three wins this year, it's hopefully just the beginning for Adesanya's title reign. — Tyler Lauletta

Brooks Koepka is the most dominant force in golf since the glory days of Tiger Woods.

Of the last seven majors the golf world has contested, Koepka has won three of them, including wins at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 2019. At the other two majors this year, he finished second.

Koepka has boasted that majors are easy to win, and with his results, it's tough to argue with him. — Tyler Lauletta

In 2019, Novak Djokovic picked up where he left off in 2018. Djokovic began the year by winning the Australian Open, then took down Roger Federer in a five-set epic at Wimbledon to win the tournament for the second year in a row.

Djokovic also added two Masters 1000 titles to his season, though he didn't finish the year off as strong as he started. The youngest of the Big Three, Djokovic has a chance to continue to add to his 15 slams and potentially challenge Roger Federer for the record. — Scott Davis

Already one of the greatest men's players to ever take the court, 33-year-old Rafael Nadal had one of the best seasons of his career in 2019.

Nadal took two grand slam titles this year — his 12th French Open and 4th U.S. Open — in addition to reaching the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinal, to finish the year with a grand slam match record of 24-2.

He closed the year as the top-ranked men's player in the world and should have a good shot at overtaking Roger Federer for most all-time grand slam titles next year. — Tyler Lauletta

Simone Biles doesn't simply win meets — she dominates competition at unprecedented levels.

This year Biles became the first gymnast in 50 years to win five golds at a single worlds and became the most decorated gymnast in world championship history with 25 medals. She won the all-around final by a whopping 2.1 points and the floor exercise by a full point.

Already considered the greatest gymnast ever, Biles will go to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 with a chance to add to her medal count and become the second female Olympian ever to win five medals in one games. — Scott Davis

Perhaps no NBA player captivated the basketball world as Kawhi Leonard did from April-July. Leonard entered the postseason with something to prove, and he did so in remarkable fashion.

Throughout the playoffs, Leonard averaged 31 points per game, hit a four-bounce, series-winning shot at the buzzer to eliminate the 76ers in a Game 7, then led the Raptors to a surprise upset over the (injured) Warriors in the Finals to win the championship while taking home Finals MVP.

He then turned his focus to free agency, a decision so compelling that helicopters and TV cameras were following his planes and cars to meetings. He eventually chose the Clippers, teaming up with Paul George to form a dynamic duo that are now the favorites to win the 2020 championship. — Scott Davis

It's hard to think of another athlete who has captivated the world on and off the field the way Megan Rapinoe did this year.

The pink-haired US Women's National Team star began her meteoric rise ahead of the 2019 World Cup when she drew the ire of President Donald Trump. After she was caught on video telling a journalist that she was not "going to the f------ White House" if the USWNT won the 2019 World Cup in France, Trump responded by suggesting that Rapinoe should "win before she talks."

The prolific scorer answered by winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot for her outstanding efforts in securing the USWNT's fourth World Cup victory. Throughout the tournament and the conflict with Trump, Rapinoe spearheaded the USWNT's lawsuit against US Soccer accusing the federation of gender discrimination and unequal treatment that violated both the Equal Pay Act and Title XII.

On the pitch, Rapinoe cowers in the face of no opponent and boldly attacks each defender who challenges her. Off the field, she is unflinching in her advocacy and unapologetic in her confrontation of each instance of injustice she encounters — even within systems from which she explicitly benefits.

Thanks to both of those facets of Rapinoe's persona, the international soccer community awarded her with the most-coveted honor in the game — the Ballon d'Or — in early December. Days later, she was tabbed Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year and spoke about the value of standing up against inequitable institutions in her acceptance speech: "I think my success bears witness to not only the necessity of speaking truth to power but also just the power of truth." — Meredith Cash