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Always a tough debate especially when you consider players from different eras. I think to call a player truly great they have to be world champions, olympic champions and have displayed a level of consistency at the top. in no specific order my five are
- WANG LIQIN. 3 time world singles champion, 2 time asian singles champion and holds the record for the longest consecutve time for a male player to be ranked 1 in the world (25 months). First player to start the power game with strong loops and mid distance counter loops from both wings
- JAN OVE WALDER. 2 time world singles champion, 1 olympic singles gold, 1 european singles title. A player who has played at the highest level for an unprecedented length of time. Brought artistry to the game
- KONG LING HUI. 1 world singles title, 1 olympic singles gold and 2 asian singles championships. Great all round mid distance game
- DENG YAPING. Considered the greatest player period by the Chinese. Won more titles than any other player in the history of the game with 18 including team and doubles titles. 3 world singles tiles, 2 olympic singles golds, 1 asian singles title . Was ranked number 1 in the world for 8 years! All of this achieved before she retired at the age of 24 years!!
- JIANG JIALIANG. 2 world singles titles, 1 asian singles title. Who could forget his singles final against Waldner. A classic.

Other notable mentions- Liu Gioliang 1 world singles, 1 olympic singles titles
Wang Nan 3 world singles titles, 1 olympic singles titles (and 2 singles silvers)
Zhang Yining 2 world singles, 2 olympic singles golds and 1 asian singles titles
Zhuang Zedong- a legend of the 60s with 3 world singles titles

re Boll. You cannot doubt his ability and consistency at the top however despite his dominence in Europe in recent years, he has yet to deliver at world championships or Olympic games. He's 29 years old now and so much will depend how he fairs in the next worlds and olympics though he'd still have a bit more to do to make the top 5 greatest. Same could have been said for Samsonov and Appelgren in the past
 
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Top 5 Man:
- J.O. Waldner
- Wang Liqin
- Liu Guoliang
- Kong Linghui
- Jiang Jialiang

Top 3 Woman:
- Wang Nan
- Deng Yaping
- Zhang Yining
 
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JO Waldner - Arguable the best tt player ever, master of the game both technical and strategic and winner of so many events.
Boll - Has remained in the top 5 for many years despite the rising of a legion of incredible table tennis players from China over the years, he hasn't won the big money yet but he will
Guoliang - One of the greatest Chinese players turned to their revolutionary coach
Linghui - 2000 world champion, world number 1, brilliant playing style and good enough to knock Waldner off his perch, has to be on the list.
Joo Se Hyuk - Most of you would disagree but hear me out, I believe Joo Se Hyuk inspired a large proportion of table tennis players to feel comfortable in developing defensive styles with an attacking edge, although he hasn't been an OVERWHELMING player, he is in my eyes the best defensive player of all time.
 
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JO Waldner - Arguable the best tt player ever, master of the game both technical and strategic and winner of so many events.
Boll - Has remained in the top 5 for many years despite the rising of a legion of incredible table tennis players from China over the years, he hasn't won the big money yet but he will
Guoliang - One of the greatest Chinese players turned to their revolutionary coach
Linghui - 2000 world champion, world number 1, brilliant playing style and good enough to knock Waldner off his perch, has to be on the list.
Joo Se Hyuk - Most of you would disagree but hear me out, I believe Joo Se Hyuk inspired a large proportion of table tennis players to feel comfortable in developing defensive styles with an attacking edge, although he hasn't been an OVERWHELMING player, he is in my eyes the best defensive player of all time.

Totally agreed to Joo Se Hyuk part (y)
But who knows Joo is inspired by Richard Bergmann :)
 
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only wang lichin comesclose to the great chineseplayer guo yuo hao,he got to 4 world finals in a row and he chucked 2 of them....china won team event 5-0 in one he was a true athlete..he won every competition he entered for years.....wang has been in four finals won 3 so is up there ..waldner by his sheer record alone ,and the ability to match and beat the chinese over 4 generations has to be the greatest....no one ever mentions persson but he has won everything except olympics and incredibly reached the semi at 42 ....a true legend...
kong and lui of the modern chinese...plus ma lin.... if ma could win the worlds he would be in there.
for me my top 5 are
waldner
guo
bengtsson
wang liquin
kong
Stellan also won every thing,worlds ,euro,top 12 world team,world double ...a fantastic style....a player who could also beat the chinese through mental toughness.
 
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only wang lichin comesclose to the great chineseplayer guo yuo hao,he got to 4 world finals in a row and he chucked 2 of them....china won team event 5-0 in one he was a true athlete..he won every competition he entered for years.....wang has been in four finals won 3 so is up there ..waldner by his sheer record alone ,and the ability to match and beat the chinese over 4 generations has to be the greatest....no one ever mentions persson but he has won everything except olympics and incredibly reached the semi at 42 ....a true legend...
kong and lui of the modern chinese...plus ma lin.... if ma could win the worlds he would be in there.
for me my top 5 are
waldner
guo
bengtsson
wang liquin
kong
Stellan also won every thing,worlds ,euro,top 12 world team,world double ...a fantastic style....a player who could also beat the chinese through mental toughness.

How can you say someone is a true athlete when they chucked 2 world finals?!
 
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My top 5 would have to be Zhang Xielin, Li furong, Zhuang Zedong, Guo Yuehua, and Rong Guotuan.
For women, I'd have to say Deng Yaping is a clear favorite. O, and Ariel too, but that's just cause I'm American xP
 
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