Lionel Messi nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards 2023

The nominations for the 2023 Laureus World Sport Awards have been announced – and this year, the world’s pre-eminent sporting Awards will celebrate not only athletes who thrilled sports fans over the previous 12 months, but several who will end their careers with a claim to be the greatest in the history of their sport.  Lionel Messi nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards 2023.

Messi will be one of the favourites for the sportsman’s gong, but it won’t be an easy choice for the Laureus World Sports Academy, with the winners set to be announced in April. One of the main contenders will be arguably his biggest rival at Qatar 2022, French superstar Kylian Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain forward nearly secured his second title in a row as he was the Golden Boot winner with eight goals in seven matches, including an incredible hat-trick in the final.

Six Nominees have been selected across seven nominated Laureus categories, with five inspirational programmes shortlisted for the Laureus Sport for Good Award. The more than 1,400 members of the Laureus Global Media Nominations Panel decided on all but one category the shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability Award was chosen by a specialist panel from the International Paralympic Committee.

What makes these Awards unique is the final stage of the judging process: a vote by the 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy Olympic champions, world-record breakers, athletes who redefined their sports and who now make up the ultimate jury on sporting greatness. The Award winners in these categories along with recipients of the Awards presented at the discretion of the Laureus World Sports Academy will be announced at the Laureus World Sports Awards in the Spring.

The nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award spent 2022 climbing to the very pinnacle of their sport. Lionel Messi collected the one prize that had eluded him by leading Argentina to the World Cup. Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick in the final earned him the Golden Boot as the World Cup’s leading goalscorer.

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Rafael Nadal ended 2022 alone at the top of the all-time list of men’s Grand Slam champions with 22 titles after victory in Australia and France. Max Verstappen joins Messi and Nadal as past winners of this Award on the 2023 shortlist after defending his Formula One world title. Mondo Duplantis broke the pole vault world record on three occasions and won world titles indoors and out. Steph Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a fourth NBA championship in eight years.