Best One-on-One Rivalries of the 21st Century
If there's one thing that makes great drama, it's a villain causing a good guy to overcome hurdles in order to rise to the top.
In sports, the plot is often the same, with teams, coaches and players going head-to-head and forming unbelievable memories for fans each time they do.
Since the turn of the millennium, a few one-on-one rivalries have been some of the best in all of sports, with superstars routinely facing off and providing Hollywood-like spectacles we all have to tune in for.
Which are the best? Keep reading to find out, because these are the best one-on-one rivalries of the 21st Century.
Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza
1 of 12A few of the younger fans might not remember how deep the rivalry between former MLB All-Stars Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza ran, but it was heated over the entire 2000 season.
Both playing in New York—Clemens with the Yankees and Piazza with the Mets—the first blow came during an interleague game, with the Rocket nailing the catcher in the helmet with some high heat, causing Piazza to miss some time.
Things took a strange turn during that season's World Series between the clubs, though, as a bat of Piazza's shattered during an at-bat against Clemens. The flamethrower proceeded to pick it up and chuck it at the feet of his opponent.
Clemens stuck to his story of thinking it was the baseball, which extended this rivalry.
Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola
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No matter what you think of their clubs, both Pep Guardiola of Bayern Munich and Jose Mourinho of Chelsea are two of the most high-profile soccer managers in the sport at this moment.
Both successful and with a reputation of being in the spotlight, the two have naturally developed quite the rivalry.
More than the head-to-head record and esteem of both men's clubs, though, what makes this a top rivalry is the fact that, quite honestly, the guys don't seem to like each other much, with Mourinho allegedly even going as far as to say that Pep was "bald because he doesn't enjoy football."
Well, that's a low blow.
As Bayern continue their quest through the Champions League in 2015—and with Chelsea already eliminated—Guardiola has a chance to capture another title and give his great rival another reason to want to defeat him when they meet again.
David Ortiz and Mariano Rivera
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They may have only faced each other 40 times, but the rivalry between former New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera and current Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was always a good one.
That's because, more than likely, there was something on the line any time Big Papi stepped into the batter's box against Mo—with the peak of the rivalry coming during the epic American League Championship Series in 2004.
In his 19-year career, Rivera only allowed 66 home runs—which is insane to think about—and just one came off the bat of Ortiz. But with a career batting average of .342 versus the all-time MLB leader in saves, Papi often got the better of the two, with these players acting as an extension of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry following the turn of the century.
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Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson
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With 19 major titles between them, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were the premier matchup on the PGA Tour during the early 2000s, with fans still hoping they are treated to a pairing of the two on a Sunday during a major.
Much like the well-known battle between Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, these guys have almost mirrored what those two all-time greats did.
In Mickelson's case, he played the role of Arnie, with the support and adoration from fans at each and every tournament. Tiger was like Jack, distancing himself from the galleries and proving that it was all about winning rather than making friends.
While the two men respect what the other has done, the tension is always thick when they're in the same room—and it's all because it is one of the best rivalries in sports.
Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin
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Following the lockout that caused the entire 2004-05 season to be lost for the NHL, hockey fans needed something to gravitate toward in order to keep their interest.
That's when the league really started pumping its two biggest stars, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, which is a rivalry that is great for the sport.
Both former No. 1 overall picks, the two displayed the best skill of nearly anyone on the ice, with Crosby being touted as the heir apparent to Wayne Gretzky before even playing in an NHL game.
With both players achieving individual success—Ovie has earned three Hart Trophies and Crosby has two—Sid has bragging rights for team success, as he has played in a Stanley Cup Final series twice, winning in 2009, while Ovechkin has yet to ever appear in the title round, which has always been the bar of this rivalry.
LeBron James and Paul Pierce
6 of 12When asked about his rivalry with LeBron James, 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce told reporters that he thought "a lot of it is really misunderstood," but that doesn't mean that one doesn't exist.
Pierce added, "I've got a lot of respect for [LeBron]. It's like fighting for the same girl. How am I going to be cool with that guy? I've got total respect for him as a person. It's just the thing we go through on the court."
With that, there's nothing but competitive blood between these two NBA champions, who often bring the best out of one another.
And there wasn't a better indicator of the two future Hall of Famers butting heads than during the 2008 NBA playoffs, when Pierce's Boston Celtics bettered James' Cleveland Cavaliers in an epic, seven-game series in which both went off in the elimination game.
Since then, they have gone head-to-head a number of times in the postseason, always leaving fans with the possibility of a show that will be talked about on social media during the entire thing.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
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I can type out stats or toss out words that try to describe it, but that won't even scratch the surface on how deep the rivalry between these two soccer gods really is.
That's because, unlike a few other one-on-one battles on this list, the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry is almost unmatched, with passion and fire pouring out of the fans of each.
ESPN FC's Marc Stein wrote a superb piece trying his damnedest to talk about what makes this such a good rivalry, comparing it to the likes of all-timers Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, but even that doesn't put it in perspective.
Two of the biggest giants the sport of soccer has ever seen, Messi and Ronaldo have proved to be must-see TV any time they face off, with Shakespearean-like theatrics involved as both players accept the challenge of competing for the leading role.
Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez
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I've written about the brewing rivalry over the years between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., but because they won't meet for the first time until May 2, that isn't the one that sits atop the list for Manny.
The guy who does, though? Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez.
Stepping into the ring with Pacquiao four times since 2004, the two have provided some of the most memorable recent moments in the sport of boxing, with controversy, disputes and revenge on each fighter's mind.
Their most recent fight—which came in 2012—had so many twists and turns that it is often referenced as the fight of that year, as Marquez knocked out Pacquiao in the sixth round.
Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt
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From the first time that they met in 1995, Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt proved they were going to have a long-lasting feud until one of them called it quits.
That moment came in 2012, when Summitt walked away from the sport for health reasons, but it didn't come before the coaches developed a respectful rivalry between two of the best women's college hoops programs in the nation.
As the premier coaches in the women's sport, Auriemma and Summitt often grabbed the attention, which came thanks to both going after one another in press conferences during the heat of battle.
With 17 national titles combined, a 9-5 edge for Auriemma during their meetings since 2000 and a similar competitive passion, there isn't a more eccentric rivalry in all of college sports over that time.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
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Any time these two all-time greats get together, it's always good theater, as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal often meet during semifinal or final matches in Grand Slam events.
Squaring off 33 times—the younger Nadal holding a 23-10 edge—there might be mutual respect and adoration when the matches end, but on the court, there's no love lost.
With Federer holding the all-time record for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles with 17, tennis fans can't help but wonder how many more he might have if not for Nadal—who owns 14 Grand Slam singles titles himself—as they've met in a record eight Slam finals.
Since 2004, the two have dazzled the sport of tennis, providing fans with instant classics that define both class and skill.
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning
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What makes the rivalry between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning so great isn't just the performances each gives fans, but the fact that they both, genuinely, look forward to it.
Meeting 16 times since 2000, the two have a friendship when not on the gridiron, but when going head-to-head, they are far from buddies.
With Brady's New England Patriots holding an 11-5 overall record at present, the signal-caller can also brag about having more Super Bowl appearances and rings than Peyton, holding the edge with a 4-2 record in six career Super Sundays to Manning's 1-2 in three.
And just when you thought this couldn't get any better, the only two losses Tom Terrific has in the Big Game came at the expense of another Manning, as Peyton's brother Eli of the New York Giants defeated him twice.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant
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While there have been unbelievable rivalries in sports in the past 15 years, the one that has been the most bitter has been between two former teammates: Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Clearly the alpha dog and the most dominant force in the NBA while with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq wasn't going to relinquish those reins to Kobe while they were playing together, constantly battling for supremacy in L.A.
The most compelling factor of the two future Hall of Famers' feud is that they were so successful, winning three-straight titles from 2000-2002 and making another NBA Finals trip together in 2004 before O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in favor of Kobe by Lakers brass.
Both guys have downplayed the rivalry as the years have gone on, but there's no denying that it is the most heated of any in sports since 2000.
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