Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland are among the list of nominees for prestigious prizes at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards.
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Argentine icon took Sportsman of the Year prize in 2023Looking to defend that crown 12 months onSuperstars of sport in the running for several awardsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Inter Miami superstar Messi, who has added to his collection of Ballons d’Or and FIFA Best Awards over the course of the last 12 months, is in contention for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year – an honour previously bestowed upon him in 2023.
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Treble-winning Manchester City striker Haaland – who has already been pipped to a Golden Ball and FIFA gong by Argentine icon Messi – is also in the running for the Sportsman award and has said of that nod: "Last year was a very special year for me and the whole team. I couldn’t have scored the number of goals I did without my incredible teammates, the coaches and staff at the club, without them the success would not be possible. I am really proud to be nominated for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award alongside so many other incredible athletes."
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City – who claimed Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles last season – are up for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, with head coach Pep Guardiola saying: “We are really proud for our club to have been nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award. Of course we are nominated because we won so much last season and the credit must go to all our players and all our staff who worked so hard throughout the season to compete in England and across Europe. It is an honour to be included in such an illustrious list of teams who also achieved success at the elite level of sport last year.”
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Elsewhere, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is among the nominees for the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award, with the 20-year-old England international – who already has Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy wins to his name – joined on that list by Scottish middle distance runner Josh Kerr, teenage tennis sensation Coco Gauff, Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang and fellow footballers Linda Caicedo and Salma Paralluelo, who caught the eye at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.