Newsbeat's top five sport stars of 2010
- Published
As the sporting year draws to a close Newsbeat's sports reporter Simon Mundie picks his selection of sportsmen and women who've had a great 2010 and are looking set for more glory in the next 12 months.
Go to Newsbeat's Facebook, external page to have your say on this year's sporting stars.
Gareth Bale
His manager Harry Redknapp reckons he's the best player in England and anyone who saw Bale's displays against Inter Milan in the Champions' League might well agree.
He scored a hat-trick in the first leg at the San Siro and was arguably even more impressive in the 3-1 win at White Hart Lane.
He's quick, a superb crosser of the ball and can dribble past players down the left wing, a bit like Ryan Giggs in his prime.
With Tottenham through to the knockout stages of the Champions' League expect his transfer value to rocket even further in 2011.
Graeme Swann
Probably the world's number one spin bowler and named the ECB Cricketer of the Year in May.
It's easy to forget that Swann has only been an England regular for a couple of years.
He became the first English bowler to take 10 wickets in a match in over 50 years against Bangladesh in March and was on a hat-trick during the second Ashes test in Adelaide.
Swann is a popular figure in the dressing room. His twitter updates are always worth a peek, plus he's got a soft side - he's the proud owner of a couple of cats.
Lee Westwood
He didn't win that first major title he's desperate for but it was still an incredible year for the man from Nottinghamshire.
He knocked Tiger Woods off top spot in the world rankings in October, becoming the first Englishman to reach number one since Nick Faldo back in 1994.
Westwood's record in the sport's biggest tournaments is impressive too.
He has finished in the top three in four of his last five majors, with many of golf's biggest names saying a win at one of the Big Four is a matter of when not if.
Mark Cavendish
His start to this year was less than glittering, partly because of cosmetic dental surgery gone wrong but he always said his goals revolved around the biggest event in the cycling calendar - the Tour de France.
There he crashed in the first stage but recovered to win stages 5, 11, 16, 18 and 20, taking his career total to 15 wins.
He fell short of winning the green jersey but cemented his reputation as arguably the best sprinter in the sport.
Off the bike he's confident, entertaining and controversial.
Jessica Ennis
Arguably the world's greatest female athlete at the moment - she can run, throw, jump and she's still only 24.
Ennis's 2009 season was a tough act to follow but she added the World Indoor title in the pentathlon and European title in the heptathlon to the World Championship gold she won last year.
She's likely to be the poster girl for the 2012 London Olympics and if the successes of the last couple of seasons are anything to go by, she'll have no problem shouldering the pressure.
Honourable mention - Ian Holloway
Holloway took over as Blackpool boss in May 2009, guiding the club to promotion nine months later.
His side were tipped to struggle in the top flight but the Bloomfield Road brigade have impressed with their attacking football and, heading into Christmas, they are comfortably above the relegation places.
If they stay there, it would be a huge achievement on such a limited budget.
But that's not the only reason we've picked him - frankly, he's hilarious and the Premier League would be a whole lot duller without his unique take on things.