The Lead

Ranking the best athletes in the world has always been a hotly debated and controversial topic.

ESPN recently decided to enter the debate by considering the top 100 professional athletes since 2000, and former Broncos quarterback and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning landed at No. 26 on the list.

ESPN editions from around the globe contributed to the nomination and voting process and were instructed to consider only an athlete's performance since 2000. More than 70,000 votes from ESPN contributors helped create the top 100, which is being revealed throughout this week.

Manning signed with the Broncos in 2012 amid questions about how he would fare in his return from an injury that caused him to miss the 2011 season, and he immediately made his mark.

"His four years in Denver answered those questions with four AFC West titles, two Super Bowl trips and [a] Super Bowl win," ESPN's Jeff Legwold wrote.

Manning posted the most spectacular statistical season of his career in 2013, when the Broncos broke the league's scoring record with 606 points. Manning himself set records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns, including seven passing scores in the season opener.

"I've never seen anything like Peyton and those guys that year," said Eric Studesville, a former Broncos assistant and current Dolphins associate head coach. "I don't think anybody has. That was just an all-time great with the ball in his hands doing all-time great things at a level nobody else has been to."

Manning's accolades during a Hall of Fame career include two Super Bowl wins, five NFL MVP awards, 14 Pro Bowl selections and seven first-team All-Pro nods.

Click here to view ESPN's current list of the top 100 professional athletes since 2000.