GOAT Index
Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.
Werner Schlager: the case for the GOAT
Who's greater?
Standings
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Career highlights
The case for the GOAT
Werner Schlager: the case for the GOAT
Austria · Born 28 September 1972, Wiener Neustadt, Austria · Career 1990s–2013
Austrian tactician known for clever serves and smart placement, who won the 2003 world title in Paris.
Career highlights
- World singles champion (2003)
- European mixed doubles champion (2003)
- European doubles champion (2005)
- 5 Olympic Games (1996–2012)
- Founded the Werner Schlager Academy
Why Werner Schlager could be the GOAT
Schlager remains the last non-Chinese man to win the world singles title, having taken the 2003 crown in Paris. He relied on intelligence rather than power to beat China's stars. His academy now develops the next generation.
What fans say
Werner Schlager is #13 of 18 in the fan ranking, with a 3–6 head-to-head record from 56 Men's table tennis votes. See the full Men's table tennis GOAT ranking
Werner Schlager head to head
How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.
One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.
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Photo credits
Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.