Herald readers name their most arrogant sportspeople

Opinion

In some sports - such as boxing - arrogance and over-confidence can be seen as a virtue, helping you to work up the motivation to compete.

But arrogance off the playing field does not usually increase the popularity of athletes and can make them a target of derision and ridicule.

In the wake of Serena Williams' record fine this week for abusing a line referee in the US Open semi-final against Kim Clijsters, the Herald asked readers to name who they thought were the most arrogant sportspeople in the world.

According to the votes, here are the top 10 most arrogant sportspeople.

10. Byron Kelleher - ex-All Black in the news this week after an alleged drunken brawl.

"Arrogance with a capitol A." Rodney (Auckland)

"What's with that guy? I met him once and pa-lease!" What the!? (Westmere)

9. John McEnroe - won seven Grand Slam tennis singles titles.

"It's difficult to see anyone ever beating John McEnroe as the most arrogant sportsperson ever - although clearly Serena Williams is giving him a run for the money." Archie (Browns Bay)

"Compared to Big Mouth Serena Williams is a darling pussycat." Lady Baby Girl (Epsom)

8. Muhammad Ali - former world heavyweight champion.

"Great boxer sure, but he even made a feature of his arrogance." Henry (Whangarei)

"Leaves everybody a mile behind in his arrogance and high and mighty bragging behavior." Tommy (Tauranga)

7. Lleyton Hewitt - won two Grand Slam tennis singles titles.

"There are few things more satisfying in world sport than Lleyton Hewitt's slide down the ATP tennis rankings." Ballboy (Hastings)

"The best thing Kim Clijsters ever did for her tennis career was to drop this schumck." Johnny (Auckland)

6. Anthony Mundine - former rugby league player and super middleweight boxer.

"You can't be both an Australian and a sportsman. The two are anathema." Barnaby (Queensland)

"Mundine is really arrogant but his theatrics are expected in boxing." Raju (New South Wales)

5. Christiano Ronaldo - Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid.

"I think when a player starts talking about themselves in the third-person context, then they have made the one-way trip to arroganceland - and not many make it back from there in one piece." Phil (Waikato)

"Wears too much jewellery for a bloke - even a Portuguese bloke." Doug (Masterton)

4. Roger Federer - won 15 Grand Slam tennis singles titles.

"Any sportsperson with their own brand deserves a gold medal." Denny (Henderson)

"I have never seen him congratulate (sincerely) a winning opponent without mentioning/stating just how great he feels he is!" Erin (Birkdale)

3. Dennis Conner - won the America's Cup four times.

"He's seen as some kind of lovable rogue nowadays, but that dude was running on 50 per cent arrogance at his peak." Alice (Remuera)

"The most arrogant sportsman I have ever seen. Even after all these years, his performance on the so-called "winner's podium" was unforgettable." Anne (Auckland)

2. Graham Henry and the current All Blacks coaching team

"I can't stand how he tries to create this aura of gravitas (completely false), and his pathetic attempts to appear 'Churchillian'" Wayne (Mt Albert)

"The gold medal for arrogance goes to Graham Henry. I would have given it to NZRU's Steve Tew, but he's more of an administrator/accountant." Chris (Wellington)

1. Ricky Ponting - right-handed batsmen and captain of the Australian cricket team.

"Ricky Ponting without fail. The man has made a habit of spitting into his hands and then going and shaking opponents' hands with that same hand!" ST (Bombay)

"Love seeing that guy lose. He could be playing a team made up of Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Robert Mugabe, Pol Pot, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun and Clayton Weatherston and I would still want to see Ricky Ponting's team lose." Harry (Waitakere City)