20 International Sports Stars Who Made A Splash In America
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While none of the men or women on this list were born in the United States, the achievements they made on U.S. soil didn't go unnoticed. America is the land of opportunity, and these people surely took advantage of it.
20. Nick Faldo
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20. Nick Faldo
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Englishman Nick Faldo had an extraordinary career, winning six majors in his time on tour, including three Masters and The Open Championship titles.
19. Hideo Nomo
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19. Hideo Nomo
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The whirlwind tornado pitcher, Hideo Nomo, burst onto the scene in 1995 with Los Angeles Dodgers. He won NL Rookie of the Year after going 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA. After that, however, he had mixed success, bouncing around seven teams throughout his MLB career.
18. Livan Hernandez
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18. Livan Hernandez
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The recent ESPN "30 for 30" special documented Livan Hernandez’s unbelievable journey coming to the United States, and while that story alone is enough to put him on this list, he was an exceptional pitcher as well. Hernandez finished his career with a 178-177 record and 4.44 ERA, but no one will ever forget his 15-strikeout performance against the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS, the best of his MLB career.
17. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez
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17. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez
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Also involved in the recent ESPN “30 for 30” special with his brother Livan, Orlando Hernandez had a great career in the majors. “El Duque” finished his career with a 90-65 record, 4.13 ERA, four World Series titles and an ALCS MVP in 1999. He became an immediate favorite in the Bronx for his gutsy performances after defecting to the United States from Cuba.
16. Maria Sharapova
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16. Maria Sharapova
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Her assets are more noted off the tennis court than they are on it, but Maria Sharapova is a pretty good tennis player. She has a total of five Grand Slam titles and a career win percentage of just over 80 percent. While males probably couldn’t tell you all of those stats, they are surely tuning in to all of her matches.
15. Pavel Bure
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15. Pavel Bure
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The Russian Rocket amassed 779 points (437 goals) in 702 career NHL games. He most notably burst out onto the scene during the 1993-94 season, which was capped off by a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals where his Vancouver Canucks eventually lost in seven games to the New York Rangers.
14. Hideki Matsui
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14. Hideki Matsui
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The man they called “Godzilla” joined the New York Yankees in 2003 and made an immediate impact in his Yankee Stadium debut. On a cold April afternoon, Hideki Matsui hit a grand slam, making him the first Yankee to do so in his first game at the stadium. Matsui went on to do great things with the team, mainly his impressive 2009 World Series performance against the Philadelphia Phillies.
13. David Beckham
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13. David Beckham
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The English football star is one of the most notable faces on the face of the earth. While being married to Posh Spice certainly ups his celebrity, David Beckham was doing big things on the pitch way before he donned the wedding band; he scored 97 goals in 523 professional matches and 17 international goals in 115 appearances. Beckham recently became part of a group of investors to bring an expansion Major League Soccer team to Miami.
12. Michael Schumacher
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12. Michael Schumacher
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One of the transcendent stars of the racing game, Michael Schumacher holds numerous Formula One records including most championships, individual race wins, fastest laps, pole positions and most races won in a single season with 13 in 2004. While most of Schumacher’s success came overseas, he did win the United States Grand Prix five times and has numerous endorsements deals here in the states as well.
11. Steffi Graf
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11. Steffi Graf
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Steffi Graf is considered by many to be the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. Her 22 Grand Slam titles are the most ever by a tennis player, male or female. Graf made her mark on our home soil by winning the U.S. Open five times.
10. Yasiel Puig
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10. Yasiel Puig
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The Los Angeles Dodgers star came out of the gate strong in 2013 and made an immediate impact. While some have mistaken his enthusiasm for a cocky demeanor, Yasiel Puig is just a kid at heart, playing the game he grew to love in Cuba. If fans don’t like his style of play, they had better learn to deal with it because Puig will be around for a long time.
9. Fernando Valenzuela
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9. Fernando Valenzuela
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Yet another Dodger makes the list, so they must have been doing something right all these years with international athletes. In 1981, the 20-year-old Mexico native made an incredible impact, winning his first eight decisions and leading the Dodgers to a World Series championship. That same year, he became the only pitcher in MLB history to win the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award. He finished his career with a 173-153 record and 3.54 ERA.
8. Roger Federer
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8. Roger Federer
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The Swiss-born superstar has been a staple of consistency throughout his career, ranking in the top 10 continuously since October of 2002 and the top 20 since April 2001. Roger Federer has won 17 Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open five consecutive times from 2004-08.
7. Tony Parker
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7. Tony Parker
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Tony Parker has run the point for the most successful NBA franchise over the last 10 years. The native of France has four NBA Championship rings under his belt, as well an NBA Finals MVP in 2007. His marriage to actress Eva Longoria definitely elevated his star power, but Parker is obviously more than a tabloid headline.
6. Manny Pacquiao
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6. Manny Pacquiao
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One of the most highly-regarded boxers of our time, Manny Pacquiao certainly isn’t on this list for his singing ability. He was named “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, in addition to a laundry list of awards and accolades that he earned throughout his career. In 63 career professional fights, Pacquiao has a 56-5-2 with 38 KOs.
5. Alexander Ovechkin
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5. Alexander Ovechkin
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The Russian-born star of Washington Capitals has rejuvenated a town starving for hockey excitement. Alexander “The Great Eight” Ovechkin has 830 points (430 goals) in 696 NHL games, but has yet to bring a Stanley Cup to the nation’s capital. He’ll have plenty of time to work on that, but for now, Caps fans are just happy to see Ovechkin on a nightly basis.
4. Dirk Nowitzki
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4. Dirk Nowitzki
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Dirk Nowitzki is unarguably the best international basketball player in the history of the NBA. He is a 12-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA Championship and Finals MVP in 2011 against the star-studded Miami Heat. Nowitzki also earned NBA MVP honors in 2007.
3. Ichiro Suzuki
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3. Ichiro Suzuki
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The 10-time MLB All-Star started his career in Japan, but made a huge impact in his time in the United States by setting the MLB single-season record for hits with 262. Between Japan and the U.S., he is third in all-time hits, trailing only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb.
2. Rafael Nadal
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2. Rafael Nadal
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Regarded as one of the top tennis players in the world, Rafael Nadal has been winning Grand Slam events like clockwork. The Spanish-born phenom has won the French Open nine times, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open twice, and the Australian Open once. Nadal has totaled over $70 million in earnings throughout his career.
1. Rory McIlroy
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1. Rory McIlroy
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Now that Tiger Woods has fallen off the top spot, a new golfer has emerged and his name is Rory McIlroy. The man hailing from Northern Ireland has had an amazing career up to this point, and the future looks even brighter. McIlroy has won nine tournaments each on the PGA and European Tour.
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