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PIX: Messi named Laureus Sportsman of the Year!

May 09, 2023 09:19 IST

IMAGE: Lionel Messi has previously won the award once before, sharing it with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in 2020. Photograph: Johanna Geron/Reuters

Argentina's World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi was named the Laureus Sportsman of the Year, while sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce bagged the top women's honour at the awards ceremony on Monday.

Messi also received an award on behalf of the Argentina men's football team, who were named World Team of the Year after their triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The 35-year-old Paris St Germain forward has previously won the award once before, sharing it with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in 2020.

IMAGE: Argentina footballer Lisandro Martínez and Argentine Football Association president Claudio Fabian Tapia pose with the award on behalf of the Argentina men's football team after winning the Laureus World Team of the Year 2023. Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for Laureus

Messi also became the first athlete to scoop both the World Sportsman of the Year Award and the World Team of the Year Award in the same year.

"I was looking at the names of the incredible legends that won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award before me: Schumacher, Woods, Nadal, Federer, Bolt, Hamilton, Djokovic… it really sunk in what unbelievable company I’m in and what a unique honour this is," Messi said.

IMAGE: Jamaican Fraser-Pryce poses with her Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year 2023 award. Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for Laureus

Jamaican Fraser-Pryce enjoyed an outstanding 2022, which included winning the 100m gold at the World Athletics Championships.

IMAGE: Carlos Alcaraz with the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award. Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for Laureus

Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, who won the 2022 US Open and rose to number one in the ATP rankings, was named the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year.

IMAGE: Denmark football player Christian Eriksen with the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for Laureus

Christian Eriksen, who recovered from the cardiac arrest he suffered at the European Championship in 2021 to return to Premier League football with Brentford and then Manchester United before competing at the World Cup with Denmark, received the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.

IMAGE: Catherine Debrunner poses with her Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability 2023 award. Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for Laureus

The Laureus World Sports Awards nominees are selected by the global media, while the winners are determined by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. The awards have been presented annually since their inception in 2000.

List of winners:

World Sportsman of the Year Award: Lionel Messi

World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

World Team of the Year Award: Argentina Men’s Football Team

World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Carlos Alcaraz

World Comeback of the Year Award: Christian Eriksen

World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Catherine Debrunner

World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Eileen Gu

Laureus Sport for Good Award: TeamUp

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