| KAKA | Who was the last player to win the Ballon d'Or before a 10-year run of Messi and Ronaldo victories? (4) |
| HELMET | Craig MacTavish was the last player to skate full time without one |
| NEYMAR | Who came third behind Messi and Ronaldo in the 2015 FIFA Ballon d"Or rankings? (6) |
| STRANGE | Last player to win back-to-back US Opens |
| AVERAGE | Declare years run-of-the-mill |
| ESSENCE | The quality of Messi at heart -- hence lacking height (7) |
| TEL | Abbr. before a 10-digit number |
| LAUREUS | The award that Messi and Hamilton shared. (7) |
| TWIT | Last players to bat, first to appeal interfering light (4) |
| DALYDOUBLES | John's sets of back-to-back victories? |
| CHECKEREDPAST | Abundance of racing victories? |
| RARER | Less common, as England tournament victories? (5) |
| ELEVENTH | The last player out but not necessarily the last player out (8) |
| LUKA | Croatian footballer who in 2018 became the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or in more than a decade (4,6) |
| MODRIC | Croatian footballer who in 2018 became the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or in more than a decade (4,6) |
| LUKAMODRIC | Croatian footballer who in 2018 became the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or in more than a decade |
| OWEN | Who was the last English footballer to win the Ballon d'Or? (4) |
| DONBUDGE | US tennis champion who was the first player to win the four Grand Slam tournaments in a single year (3,5) |
| CONNORMCDAVID | Oilers captain who is the most recent NHL player to win the Art Ross Trophy (for most points in the regular season) twice: 2 wds. |
| ALTHEA | ..... Gibson was the first Black player to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open singles tennis championships? (6) |
