Argentina International, Lionel Messi, has been named sportsman of the year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Messi, who finally realised his World Cup dream in Qatar, also accepted the team of the year award on behalf of Argentina, who beat France on penalties in last year’s epic final.
The 35-year-old accepted the accolades at a ceremony in Paris just hours after it was confirmed that he had returned to Paris Saint-Germain following a club suspension.
The Argentine has become the only footballer in history to ever win the award twice. He is also the only football player to ever win it*
He said: “This is a special honour, particularly as the Laureus World Sports Awards are in Paris this year, the city that has welcomed my family since we came here in 2021. I want to thank all my teammates, not only from the national team but also at PSG — I have achieved none of this alone and I am grateful to be able to share everything with them”.
These were the nominees:
– Steph Curry (USA) Basketball
– Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics
– Kylian Mbappe (France) Football
– Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football
– Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis
– Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing