Laureus Awards 2023: Lionel Messi has been named the Sportsman of the Year at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Paris. The Argentine football star won the prestigious award for his remarkable achievements on the pitch in the past year, which included leading Argentina to victory in the FIFA World Cup. Follow Football LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Messi was nominated alongside other star athletes such as Kylian Mbappe, Rafael Nadal, Stephen Curry, Mondo Duplantis, and Max Verstappen. The Paris Saint-Germain forward emerged as the winner of the award.
Messi’s latest triumph comes after he led Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup victory since 1986. The forward led his team to World Cup glory, scoring crucial goals throughout the tournament and providing vital assists to his teammates.
With the win, the Argentine becomes the only footballer ever to win Laureus Awards twice. Messi previously won the Sportsman of the Year award in 2020 in a ceremony that took place in Berlin. The Argentine had shared the award with Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who had the same number of votes.
After receiving the award, Lionel Messi talked about his World Cup journey and dedicated the accolades to people of Argentina.
“For me to be at this gala, it’s my first time here. It’s an honor for me to share a nomination with all these enormous athletes whom I greatly admire, anyone could have won. “It is always nice to receive recognition of this type, this year I was lucky to fulfill my great dream, to be world champion, it cost me a lot, almost my entire career, in between I went through everything, many joys with Barcelona and many sadness with the national team, but I never stopped, and everything was a lesson for me.
“There were many obstacles along the way but I always tried to improve myself, with the support of my people. I am very grateful: I was able to fulfill my dream and that of an entire country. It took time to arrive but it was the most beautiful thing that happened to me; this award goes to all of Argentina. Thank you very much”, Messi said in his speech.
Apart from personal accolades, Messi also accepted the Team of the Year award on behalf of Argentina, who defeated France on penalties in FIFA World Cup final last year.
The 35-year-old also became the first-ever athlete to win the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and Laureus World Team of the Year Awards in the same year.
Full List of Winners
S
Sportsman of the Year
Steph Curry (USA) Basketball
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics
Kylian Mbappé (France) Football
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football
Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing
Sportswoman of the Year
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics
Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics
Alexia Putellas (Spain) Football
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing
Iga Świątek (Poland) Tennis
Team of the Year
Argentina Men’s Football Team
England Women’s Football Team
France Men’s Rugby Team
Golden State Warriors (USA) Basketball
Real Madrid (Spain) Football
Oracle Red Bull Racing (Austria)
Breakthrough of the Year
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis
Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) Athletics
Nathan Chen (USA) Figure Skating
Morocco Men’s Football Team
Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) Tennis
Scottie Scheffler (USA) Golf
Comeback of the Year
Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) Motor Cycling
Christian Eriksen (Denmark) Football
Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) Athletics
Klay Thompson (USA) Basketball
Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) Cycling
Tiger Woods (USA) Golf
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