Most Admired People of the Year

Hillary Clinton has her many admirers, while her detractors are legion. After serving as first lady during President Bill Clinton’s tenure, Hillary Clinton became the first former first lady to win public office when she became senator from New York. Clinton also served as secretary of state under President Barack Obama, and then became the first woman to run as a major party candidate for president of the United States. Clinton has not discounted the possibility of running for president in 2020.

Although before the 2016 election the FBI cleared Clinton over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, many Americans believe questions remain unanswered in regard to that controversy.

Lionel Messi has been the face of the Barcelona soccer club, which he joined in 2003, and together they have won 34 championships. Messi played his 700th game for Barcelona in November. His contract with the club runs through 2020-21 and pays him $80 million a year. Messi also has a lifelong agreement with Adidas. He was the captain of Argentina’s World Cup team in 2014 and 2018 and has played in four World Cup events.

Tu Youyou became the first Chinese scientist to win a Nobel Prize Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015. She won for her work in treating malaria. Tu devoted herself to the field of medicine after she contracted tuberculosis when she was a teenager.

Vladimir Putin has been the president of Russia since 2012. Putin’s current term ends in 2024, and the Russian constitution would prevent him from seeking another term. As head of the world’s largest nation by land area, Putin has been a controversial figure. He is very popular at home because of his attempt at restoring Russia to past glory. The former KGB officer has used force and skill to impose stability on Russia, which had been somewhat chaotic after the fall of communism.

Russia’s seizure of Crimea and incursion into Ukraine, as well as the agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to expel Kurdish forces from northern Syria, not to mention its meddling in America’s election, have been disquieting developments during the Putin presidency.

Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift will become the first recipient of Billboard’s Woman of the Decade Award later this month. Swift has had five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and five chart-topping singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this decade. She is also being cited for her commitment to protecting creative rights, music education, disaster relief, and the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment.