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
- 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