Athletes, coaches, fans and even wives and girlfriends had their moment in the spotlight after an eventful sporting year in 2024.
In a year that gave us the Olympic Games in Paris, a summer full of the king of sports of the America's Cup and the Euro Cup, and a boom in the popularity of the WNBA, the athletes aroused the curiosity of fans and the general public for a variety of reasons. .
Athletes who burst onto the scene last year and others who have been around and continue to make headlines have been the subject of Google searches for stories of incredible feats and troubling controversies.
Here, Mail Sport looks at the 10 most searched athletes of the year on Google.
10. Rodri, football
Spanish footballer Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in November after a spectacular year
The Manchester City star was also named UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament
Spanish midfielder Rodri had a brilliant career in 2024 for club and country.
The Spaniard opened the year with four goals and seven assists to help Manchester City rise to the top of the Premier League.
After his season in England, Rodri helped the Spaniards win the European Championship by playing six games and scoring a goal for La Rojas. His efforts for his nation earned Rodri the Player of the Tournament award.
Furthermore, his success with both teams earned him the coveted Ballon d'Or in November.
9. Shashank Singh, cricket
Cricket star Shashank Singh is one of the two Indian athletes among the most searched athletes on Google
Singh scored 354 runs at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 164.65 in the Indian PL.
Indian batsman Shashank Singh made headlines in 2024 after being bought by the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 auction.
The transaction caused a lot of confusion as two players with the same name were in play and the Kings felt they had drafted the wrong player. A clip of the incident went viral on social media soon after and the team clarified that they had indeed got the Shashank they wanted.
Despite the team's disappointing ninth place finish, Singh scored 354 runs at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 164.65. He also hit two half-centuries, including 28 fours and 21 sixes.
8. Scottie Scheffler, golf
Scottie Scheffler won nine of his 21 competitions on the golf course last year.
Scheffler also went viral when he was arrested on the way to the PGA Championship in May.
Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a banner year on the golf course, earning nine victories in 21 competitions.
Scheffler emerged victorious in the Hero World Challenge, the Tour Championship, the Paris Olympics, the Travelers Championship, the Memorial Tournament, the RBC Heritage, the Masters Tournament, The Players Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
While he earned an estimated $58.5 million this year, Scheffler made even more headlines during a series of mind-bending events in which he was arrested before the PGA Championship.
Incredible video saw him pinned to a police car, before being taken to cells and forced to pose for a mugshot in orange prison uniform. Despite the chaos off the field, Scheffler continued with the competition and finished in a tie for eighth place – a remarkable response to a strange few days.
7. Hardik Pandya, cricket
Hardik Pandya was a key player in India's victory in the T20 Cricket World Cup this summer.
The all-rounder also surprised fans by leaving the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya made noise during the T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 in the United States and West Indies.
Pandya proved to be a force with both bat and ball as India secured their second title, beating South Africa by seven runs in the final.
The 31-year-old also surprised the cricket world when he moved to Mumbai Indians after two seasons with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. He was named captain of the five-time champion team before they finished last in the IPL.
6. Nico Williams, football
Spaniard Nico Williams celebrating in Spanish colors at the UEFA Euro in July
Williams helped the Spanish to victory over the rest of the continent this summer.
The Spanish national soccer team shined with young talent this year, and one of the rising stars is 22-year-old winger Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao.
While La Roja demonstrated their European supremacy at the Euros this summer, Williams was a key part of the Spaniards' success, with two goals and an assist in the tournament.
Outside of his national colors, Williams scored seven goals and provided 16 assists for Bilbao in all competitions.
And it looks like 2025 could be an even bigger year for the young star, with Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich reportedly sniffing around for his signature.
5. Jake Paul, boxing
Jake Paul scored wins over Ryan Bourland, Mike Perry and Mike Tyson during the year
Tyson and Paul starred in the first boxing event to be broadcast on Netflix in November
While fighting the 58-year-old version of Mike Tyson doesn't carry much weight in modern boxing, Jake Paul deserves credit for bringing one of the all-time greats out of retirement to fight a much younger competitor.
While the fight wasn't as exciting as advertised, Paul and his team's efforts to promote it were noteworthy. Additionally, Paul's brash behavior on and off social media kept his name in a hashtag all year.
Before finishing 2024 starring in Netflix's first boxing event, Paul scored knockout victories over Ryan Bourland in March and Mike Perry in July.
4. Simone Biles, gymnastics
Simone Biles led Team USA to victory at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
Biles added three gold medals and one silver to her decorated gymnastics trophy case
Simone Biles swept the 2024 Olympics and led the United States to the pinnacle of gymnastics supremacy.
After an unexpected exit from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, all eyes were on Biles as she returned to the Olympic stage in the French capital.
The Columbus, Ohio native did not disappoint as she added three golds and a silver to her incredible collection. Biles ends 2024 with a total of seven golds, two silvers and two bronzes in her Olympic career.
Off the field, she has also made headlines in the stands at Chicago Bears games, supporting her NFL husband, Jonathan Owens.
3. Lamine Yamal, football
Spanish teenage star Lamine Yamal was the most searched footballer in 2024
Lamal made headlines by helping La Rojas to victory over France in the Euro Cup semi-final.
Seventeen-year-old Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal became a household name after a spectacular year on the field.
Yamal shone on Spain's path to Euro victory over the summer. The young ace set social media abuzz when he became the youngest player to score in the tournament's history with a goal against France in the semi-final.
The Barcelona star was named Young Player of the Tournament before returning to the Catalan club and becoming the youngest player to reach 50 appearances for Barça's first team, setting records for goals and assists in all competitions.
Not a bad start to his career, that's for sure.
2. Mike Tyson, boxing
Boxing legend Mike Tyson came out of retirement at age 58 to fight 27-year-old Jake Paul.
Despite losing, Tyson lasted all eight rounds against a much younger opponent like Paul.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson had fans equally excited and nervous when he announced that, at 58, he would fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who is 30 years his junior.
Fans tuned in to the buildup as Iron Mike appeared to show glimpses of his terrifying young self. After all, he was once the heavyweight champion of the world and finished 44 of his 50 professional career victories by knockout.
The event was the first boxing card to stream on Netflix and both sides went to great lengths to promote the gimmick fight. This included Tyson slapping Paul on stage during their weigh-in.
While Fight Week turned out to be a strange series of events leading up to a lackluster eight-round bout, the masses were intrigued by the idea of one of boxing's greats returning to action.
1. Imane Khelif, boxing
Imane Khelif was at the center of controversy during the women's boxing tournament in Paris
Khelif won Olympic gold in women's 66kg after being subjected to cyberbullying.
The 2024 Summer Olympics were marred by controversy from the start. But there may have been none bigger than the one surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
Khelif took gold in the women's welterweight competition despite calls for her to be banned from fighting female opponents almost a year after she was kicked out of the World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
It was later shown that Khelif was born female and suffers from a rare condition called Differences in Sexual Development, which can lead to the development of XY chromosomes.
After suffering verbal abuse from the crowd, Khelif finished 2024 with not only a gold medal, but also the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award.