Athletes, coaches, fans and even the wives and girlfriends all had their time in the spotlight after an eventful year of sports in 2024.
In a year that gave us the Olympics in Paris, a summer filled with the beautiful game from the Copa America and Euro tournaments, and a boom in the WNBA’s popularity, athletes triggered the curious minds of fans and the general public for a variety of reasons.
Athletes who burst onto the scene this past year and others who have been around and continue to generate headlines have been subject to Google searches for stories of incredible feats and head-scratching controversies.
Here, Mail Sport looks through Google’s top-10 most-searched athletes of the year.
10. Rodri, soccer
Spanish soccer player Rodri won the Balon d’Or in November after a spectacular year
The Manchester City star was also named the Player of the Tournament at the UEFA Euros
Spanish midfielder Rodri had a brilliant run in 2024 for club and country.
The Madrid native opened the year with four goals and seven assists to help Manchester City soar to the top of the Premier League.
After his season in England, Rodri helped the Spaniards win the UEFA Euro tournament playing in six matches and scoring a goal for La Rojas. His efforts for his nation earned Rodri the Player of the Tournament award.
Furthermore, his success for both sides earned him the coveted Ballon d’Or in November.
9. Shashank Singh, cricket
Cricket star Shashank Singh is one of two Indian athletes in Google’s most searched athletes
Singh had 354 runs at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 164.65 in the Indian PL
Indian batsman Shashank Singh gained headlines in 2024 after being purchased by the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 auction.
The transaction caused much confusion as two players with the same name were up for grabs and the Kings felt they had picked the wrong player. A clip of the incident went viral on social media not long after and the team clarified that they had indeed got the Shashank they wanted.
Despite the team’s disappointing ninth-place finish, Singh had 354 runs at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 164.65. He also hit two half-centuries, including 28 fours and 21 sixes.
8. Scottie Scheffler, golf
Scottie Scheffler won nine of his 21 competitions on the golf course this past year
Scheffler also went viral when he was arrested on his way to the PGA Championship in May
Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a remarkable year out on the golf course as he secured nine wins in 21 competitions.
Scheffler emerged victorious in the Hero World Challenge, Tour Championship, Paris Olympics, Travelers Championship, Memorial Tournament, RBC Heritage, Masters Tournament, The Players Championship, and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
While he earned an estimated $58.5million this year, Scheffler made even more headlines off it during a mind-boggling series of events that saw him get arrested before the PGA Championship.
Incredible video saw him being pinned to a cop car, before he was taken to the cells and made to pose for a mugshot in orange prison uniform. Despite the chaos outside the course, Scheffler carried on with the competition and finished tied for eighth place – a remarkable response to a bizarre few days.
7. Hardik Pandya, cricket
Hardik Pandya was a key player in India’s victory at the Cricket T20 World Cup this summer
The all-rounder also shocked fans by leaving the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya made noise during the 2024 Cricket T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies.
Pandya proved to be a force with both bat and ball as India secured their second title, besting South Africa by seven runs in the final.
The 31-year-old also shocked the cricket world when he moved to the Mumbai Indians after two seasons with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. He was named captain of the five-time championship team before they finished at the bottom of the IPL.
6. Nico Williams, soccer
Spains Nico Williams celebrating in Spanish colors at the UEFA Euros tournament in July
Williams helped the Spaniards secure victory over the rest of the continent this summer
The Spanish national football team beamed with young talent this year, and one of the rising stars is 22-year-old winger Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.
As La Roja proved their European supremacy at the Euros this summer, Williams was a key part of the Spaniards’ success, with two goals and an assist in the tournament.
Outside his national colors, Williams scored seven goals and dished out 16 assists for Bilbao across all competitions.
And it seems 2025 could be an even bigger year for the young star, with Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all reportedly sniffing around for his signature.
5. Jake Paul, boxing
Jake Paul tallied victories over Ryan Bourland, Mike Perry and Mike Tyson over the year
Tyson and Paul starred in the first-ever boxing event to air on Netflix in November
While fighting the 58-year-old version of Mike Tyson does not hold much weight in modern-day boxing, Jake Paul deserves the credit for bringing one of the all-time greats out of retirement to fight a much younger competitor.
While the fight was not as exciting as advertised, Paul and his team’s efforts to promote it were noteworthy. Furthermore, Paul’s brash behavior on and off social media kept his name in after a hashtag over the year.
Before finishing 2024 by starring in Netflix’s first boxing event, Paul scored knockout wins over Ryan Bourland in March and Mike Perry in July.
4. Simone Biles, gymnastics
Simone Biles spearheaded Team USA to victory at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
Biles added three gold medals and a silver to her decorated trophy case in gymnastics
Simone Biles took the 2024 Olympics by storm as she spearheaded the United States to the top of gymnastics supremacy.
After an unexpected exit from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, all eyes were on Biles as she returned to the Olympic stage in the French capital.
The Columbus, Ohio native did not disappoint as she added three golds and a silver to her incredible collection. Biles finishes 2024 with a total of seven golds, two silvers, and two bronzes in her Olympic career.
Off the field, she has also made headlines in the stands at Chicago Bears games, supporting her NFL husband Jonathan Owens.
3. Lamine Yamal, soccer
Teenage Spanish star Lamine Yamal was the most-searched soccer player in 2024
Lamal made headlines by helping La Rojas secure a victory over France in the Euros semifinal
Seventeen-year-old Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal became a household name after a spectacular year on the pitch.
Yamal shined in Spain’s route to winning the UEFA Euro tournament over the summer. The young ace had social media roaring when he became the youngest player to score in tournament history with a screamer against France in the semi-final.
The Barcelona star was named the Young Player of the Tournament before returning to the Catalan club and becoming the youngest player to reach 50 appearances for Barca’s first team while setting scoring and assist records across competitions.
Not a bad start to his career, that’s for sure.
2. Mike Tyson, boxing
Boxing legend Mike Tyson came out of retirement at 58 to fight 27-year-old Jake Paul
Despite losing, Tyson lasted all eight rounds against a much younger opponent in Paul
Boxing legend Mike Tyson had fans equally excited and nervous when he announced that, at 58, he would be fighting against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who is 30 years his junior.
Fans tuned into the buildup as Iron Mike appeared to show flashes of his terrifying young self. After all, he was once the world heavyweight champion who ended 44 of his 50 pro career wins via knockout.
The event was the first boxing card to stream on Netflix and both sides did their best to promote the gimmick bout. This included Tyson infamously slapping Paul on stage during their weigh-in stare-down.
While Fight Week proved to be a bizarre series of events leading up to a lackluster eight-rounder, the masses were intrigued by the idea of one of the boxing greats returning to action.
1. Imane Khelif, boxing
Imane Khelif was at the center of controversy during the women’s boxing tournament in Paris
Khelif went on to win Olympic gold at Women’s 66kg after being a subject of cyberbullying
The 2024 Summer Olympics was marred with controversy from the get-go. But there might have been none bigger than the one surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
Khelif took gold in the women’s welterweight competition despite calls for her to be barred from fighting female opponents almost a year after she was thrown out of the World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
It was later proven that Khelif was born a female and suffers from a rare condition called Differences in Sex Development, which can lead to developing XY chromosomes.
After suffering a verbal assault from the public, Khelif finished 2024 with not only a gold medal, but also Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year award.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk