Eddy Merckx. The Cannibal. The GOAT. As with Muhammad Ali in boxing or Pel in football, if people only knew one cyclist around the time of the moon landings, it was that BelgianLike Novak Djokovic on any surface of tennis court, or Michael Phelps in any swimming discipline, Merckx won across every type of race. Track, cobbles, mountains, sprints. Hour, day, week, fortnight or longer. The lot.In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Merckx, now 81, conquered all. Sometimes by, literally, miles. Five Tours, five Giros, an Espaa. All five Monuments (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Lige-Bastogne-Lige, Giro di Lombardia). Countless records. He won almost everything every Classic race except Paris-Tours.Why is Tadej Pogaar compared to Eddy Merckx? Tadej Pogaar leads the 2026 Tour de France by more than four minutes. Getty Images The only rider to come close to replicating that all-conquering dominance, at least on the road, is a certain Tadej Pogaar. Ultimately, comparisons between riders who plied their trade nearly 60 years apart are nigh-on impossible that won't stop us, though but Pogaar's insatiable appetite for victory is reminiscent of that of Merckx.Pogaar is currently cantering to a fifth Tour de France victory (that would draw him alongside Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurin) at 27 years old.The Slovenian has also won 13 Monuments (to Merckx's 19) and only Paris-Roubaix evades Pogaar if he is to join Belgian trio Merckx, Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck as the riders to have won all five of cycling's biggest one-day races.In terms of total victories, however, there's a clear winner Merckx finished his career with 525 wins, while Pogaar sits on 125 (at the time of writing). Read more: The 10 greatest Tour de France riders of all time, ranked Eddy Merckx's wins, in numbers: Total victories: 525 Tour de France overall wins: 5 (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974) Tour de France individual stage wins: 34 Giro d'Italia overall wins: 5 (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974) Giro d'Italia individual stage wins: 24 Vuelta a Espana overall wins: 1 (1973) Vuelta a Espana individual stage wins: 6 Momument wins: 19 Milan-San Remo 7 (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976) Tour of Flanders 2 (1968, 1975) Paris-Roubaix 3 (1968, 1970, 1973) LigeBastogneLige 5 (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975) Giro di Lombardia 2 (1971, 1972) Elite World Championship road race wins: 3 (1967, 1971, 1974) Why was his nickname 'The Cannibal'? "Me again?" Getty Images Merckx's Cannibal tag came from his all-consuming competitiveness. No following the unwritten rules by letting someone else win a stage if he was ahead.If he had a beef with other cyclists, the press or race organisers (most notoriously at the 1969 Giro dItalia, when he was banned following a dubious drug test result he was later cleared) his legs usually did the talking.The Merckx of vintage race photos is aloof, focused. On the podium, hes nonchalant, with a told-you-so smile. Those to whom he has granted rare interviews report an affable man, quick to laugh, always in control.When did Merckx retire, and what happened next? Merckx, pictured here with Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme in 2023, has remained highly influential. Getty Images Merckx retired at only 32 in 1978, having made modest earnings compared to todays riders a fact that he is keenly aware of, but has evidently coped with.Since then, he has stayed in cycling. In 1980, he formed Eddy Merckx Cycles, making bikes that were used in pro races, but he sold his majority share in 2008 (the brand survives today thanks to a buyout by Belgian Cycling Factory, Ridleys parent company, in 2017). He coached various teams and is still one of cycling's most influential figures. Read more: The Eddy Merckx 525R is the best aero road bike Ive ever riddenMerckx grew up speaking French and Dutch his parents ran a grocery shop in Brabant and is popular in both Flanders and Wallonia, his countrys two sometimes-adversarial main parts. So, we might add social unifier to his achievements.Sorry Adolphe Sax, Audrey Hepburn, Jacques Brel, Ren Magritte et al Eddy Merckx might just be the worlds most famous Belgian, too.So, a victory machine who conquered all on every surface and a voracious appetite that could not be sated, no matter how many wins he racked up. Thats why Eddy Merckx is held in such regard. More Tour de France questions answered How much money does Pogaar earn, and how does that compare to other sports top stars? What does a Tour de France rider do if they need to poo? How dangerous is the Tour de France? Why is the Tour de France not on ITV? 3,302km in 76 hours: how fast is the Tour de France? What is the Tour de France caravan, and why does everyone love it so much? Tour de France jargon buster: all the cycling terms you need to know to understand the race