19 Photos Of Famous Athletes At The Beginning Of Their Careers Vs. Now

ASFN Admin · Jul 18, 2026

This year has been an absolute wild time for sports. From the excitement of the World Cup to the Knicks winning their first NBA championship in 53 years, fans had a looooot to cheer about. And with so many famous athletes playing in the NFL, MLB, and beyond, let's take a look back to see how these pros looked when they first got started vs. now:

1. To start, here's Lionel Messi in 2005:

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Jorge Dominelli / El Grafico / Getty Images

Here's Lionel in 2026:

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Zhizhao Wu / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Jorge Dominelli / El Grafico / Getty Images, Zhizhao Wu / Getty Images

2. Here's LeBron James in 2003:

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David Liam Kyle / NBAE via Getty Images

Here's LeBron in 2026:

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Luke Hales / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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David Liam Kyle / NBAE via Getty Images, Luke Hales / Getty Images

3. Here's Tom Brady in 2000:

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Focus On Sport / Getty Images

Related: "How Many Of These World Cup 2026 Players Can You Actually Name?"

Here's Tom in 2026:

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Monica Schipper / Getty Images for OBB Media - FANATICS STUDIOS

And here are those photos side by side:

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Focus On Sport / Getty Images, Monica Schipper / Getty Images for OBB Media - FANATICS STUDIOS

4. Here's Serena Williams in 1998:

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Simon Bruty / Anychance / Getty Images

Here's Serena in 2026:

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Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Simon Bruty / Anychance / Getty Images, Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

5. Here's Venus Williams in 1998:

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David Madison / Getty Images

Here's Venus in 2026:

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Alberto Gardin / Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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David Madison / Getty Images, Alberto Gardin / Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images

6. Here's Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003:

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Matthew Peters / Manchester United via Getty Images

Here's Cristiano in 2026:

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Hannah Peters - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Matthew Peters / Manchester United via Getty Images, Hannah Peters - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images

7. Here's Simone Biles in 2013:

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Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

Related: "23 Unforgettable World Cup Moments That Have Me Ugly Crying Into My Jersey"

Here's Simone in 2026:

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Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images, Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Getty Images

8. Here's Shohei Ohtani in 2017:

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Joe Scarnici / Getty Images

Here's Shohei in 2026:

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Harry How / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Joe Scarnici / Getty Images, Harry How / Getty Images

9. Here's Steph Curry in 2009:

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Rocky Widner / NBAE via Getty Images

Here's Steph in 2026:

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Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Rocky Widner / NBAE via Getty Images, Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images

10. Here's Michael Jordan in 1984:

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Bettmann / Getty Images

Here's Michael in 2026:

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David Jensen / Getty Images

Related: "23 World Cup Players Who Are So Hot I Almost Forgot A Tournament Was Happening"

And here are those photos side by side:

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Bettmann / Getty Images, David Jensen / Getty Images

11. Here's Usain Bolt in 2002:

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Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Here's Usain in 2026:

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Yaro Roland / WireImage / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Andy Lyons / Getty Images, Yaro Roland / WireImage / Getty Images

12. Here's Michael Phelps in 2000:

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Simon Bruty / Anychance / Getty Images

Here's Michael in 2026:

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CFP / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Simon Bruty / Anychance / Getty Images, CFP / Getty Images

13. Here's Lisa Leslie in 1997:

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Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images

Here's Lisa in 2026:

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Leonardo Fernandez / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images, Leonardo Fernandez / Getty Images

14. Here's Tony Hawk in 1985:

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Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

Here's Tony in 2025:

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Jayce Illman / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Doug Pensinger / Getty Images, Jayce Illman / Getty Images

15. Here's Alex Morgan in 2011:

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Alex Livesey - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images

Here's Alex in 2025:

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Brad Smith / ISI Photos/USSF / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Alex Livesey - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images, Brad Smith / ISI Photos/USSF / Getty Images

16. Here's Shaun White in 2001:

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Tim Rue / Corbis via Getty Images

Here's Shaun in 2025:

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Greg Doherty / Getty Images for St. Regis

And here are those photos side by side:

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Tim Rue / Corbis via Getty Images, Greg Doherty / Getty Images for St. Regis

17. Here's David Beckham in 1993:

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Neal Simpson / EMPICS via Getty Images

Here's David in 2026:

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Taylor Hill / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Neal Simpson / EMPICS via Getty Images, Taylor Hill / Getty Images

18. Here's Shaq in 1992:

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Brian Drake / NBAE via Getty Images

Here's Shaq in 2026:

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Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Brian Drake / NBAE via Getty Images, Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

19. Finally, here's Jalen Brunson in 2018:

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Jennifer Pottheiser / NBAE via Getty Images

Here's Jalen in 2026:

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Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images

And here are those photos side by side:

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Jennifer Pottheiser / NBAE via Getty Images, Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images

Who's your favorite athlete of all time? Drop your pick in the comments!

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19 Photos Of Famous Athletes At The Beginning Of Their Careers Vs. Now

ASFN Admin

Administrator

1. To start, here's Lionel Messi in 2005:​

Here's Lionel in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

2. Here's LeBron James in 2003:​

Here's LeBron in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

3. Here's Tom Brady in 2000:​

Here's Tom in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

4. Here's Serena Williams in 1998:​

Here's Serena in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

5. Here's Venus Williams in 1998:​

Here's Venus in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

6. Here's Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003:​

Here's Cristiano in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

7. Here's Simone Biles in 2013:​

Here's Simone in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

8. Here's Shohei Ohtani in 2017:​

Here's Shohei in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

9. Here's Steph Curry in 2009:​

Here's Steph in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

10. Here's Michael Jordan in 1984:​

Here's Michael in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

11. Here's Usain Bolt in 2002:​

Here's Usain in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

12. Here's Michael Phelps in 2000:​

Here's Michael in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

13. Here's Lisa Leslie in 1997:​

Here's Lisa in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

14. Here's Tony Hawk in 1985:​

Here's Tony in 2025:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

15. Here's Alex Morgan in 2011:​

Here's Alex in 2025:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

16. Here's Shaun White in 2001:​

Here's Shaun in 2025:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

17. Here's David Beckham in 1993:​

Here's David in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

18. Here's Shaq in 1992:​

Here's Shaq in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

19. Finally, here's Jalen Brunson in 2018:​

Here's Jalen in 2026:​

And here are those photos side by side:​

Who's your favorite athlete of all time? Drop your pick in the comments!​

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1. To start, here's Lionel Messi in 2005:

Here's Lionel in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

2. Here's LeBron James in 2003:

Here's LeBron in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

3. Here's Tom Brady in 2000:

Here's Tom in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

4. Here's Serena Williams in 1998:

Here's Serena in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

5. Here's Venus Williams in 1998:

Here's Venus in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

6. Here's Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003:

Here's Cristiano in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

7. Here's Simone Biles in 2013:

Here's Simone in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

8. Here's Shohei Ohtani in 2017:

Here's Shohei in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

9. Here's Steph Curry in 2009:

Here's Steph in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

10. Here's Michael Jordan in 1984:

Here's Michael in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

11. Here's Usain Bolt in 2002:

Here's Usain in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

12. Here's Michael Phelps in 2000:

Here's Michael in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

13. Here's Lisa Leslie in 1997:

Here's Lisa in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

14. Here's Tony Hawk in 1985:

Here's Tony in 2025:

And here are those photos side by side:

15. Here's Alex Morgan in 2011:

Here's Alex in 2025:

And here are those photos side by side:

16. Here's Shaun White in 2001:

Here's Shaun in 2025:

And here are those photos side by side:

17. Here's David Beckham in 1993:

Here's David in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

18. Here's Shaq in 1992:

Here's Shaq in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

19. Finally, here's Jalen Brunson in 2018:

Here's Jalen in 2026:

And here are those photos side by side:

Who's your favorite athlete of all time? Drop your pick in the comments!