Muuray makes into my top 10 all-time favourite sportsmen

His fight, his determination, his sportsmanship, his refusal to give up, his patriotism and obviously his high skill level have moved him into my top 10 list of all-time favourite sportsmen.

He’s not first though....

10th) Steve Redgrave.

I love the Olympics. It’s the only time I’d ever watch sports like rowing. Five gold medals gives Sir Steve a shot at being named as Britain’s greatest ever competitor.

9th) Geoff Boycott

My hero growing up as a cricket-mad youngster. He taught me the most important shot was the forward defensive, followed by the ‘leave’.

8th) Seve Ballesteros

A golfing genius with the charisma to make golf interesting. Let’s face it the current top golfers Brooks Koepka, Rory McIliroy, Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson are all devoid of personality whereas Ballesteros proved you can have fun while winning.

7th) Bjorn Borg

I hated the antics of John MeEnroe and Jimmy Connors on tennis court so quickly became a huge Borg fan. He was so cool and classy he showed McEnroe up for the big-mouthed bore he was

6th) Michael Jordan.

I love the NBA. I watched every minute of the recent finals between Toronto and Golden State. Basketball players are phenomenal athletes and Jordan was the best of them all.

5th) Craig Mackail-Smith.

My favourite player at my favourite club. The beginning of his career at Posh wasn’t promising as his finishing was erratic and he ran offside far too often, but my goodness he went on to epitomise what was great about Darren Ferguson’s early Posh sides. He never stopped running and he never stopped improving until the day he left. By then he was rarely offside and he was a top finisher. He was also proof of Ferguson’s outstanding coaching ability.

4th) Daley Thompson

The Olympic gold medal winning decathlete is simply the best athlete I’ve ever seen. His event must be the most testing discipline of them all. And he was a drug-free showman, pleasing characteristics then and now.

3rd) Andy Murray

See opening paragraph.

2nd) Ian Botham

I was lucky enough to be watching alongside my cricket-mad father when the great all-round cricketer turned the 1981 Ashes series on its head. Not just a brilliant all-round player, but a great entertainer.

1st) Muhammed Ali.

It was very sad watching this fast-mouthed , fast-punching boxer slip into the clutches of Parkinson’s Disease. A genuine world sporting superstar and the most exciting boxer of all-time. Even his pre-bout trash-talking was funny rather than nasty. My all-time sporting hero.