Messi succeeds Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, who was also nominated. The Paris Saint-Germain footballer has never won the award before.
Comeback of the Year: Christian Eriksen
Other Dutch nominees also missed out on the award. Cyclist Animek van Vleuten was a contender in the Comeback of the Year category. The award went to Danish footballer Christian Eriksen, who is back in top form after suffering a cardiac arrest during the 2021 European Championships. Wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot is nominated in the Athletes with Disabilities category. Swiss semi-athlete Kathryn Debrunner won.
Jamaican player Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was named Sportswoman of the Year. Last year she won her tenth world title at the U.S. Eugene Championships, her fifth in the 100m. Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was named Breakthrough of the Year. At the age of 20, Alcaraz was the youngest ever No. 1 in the world rankings. Chinese/American skier Elaine Guo was awarded the Laureus Award for “Sportsperson of the Year”.
Sports Team of the Year
Messi also received the award for the Argentina soccer team, as captain of the sports team of the year. “It is a special honour. Especially since this year’s Laureus Awards will be presented in Paris, the city that has welcomed my family since we arrived here in 2021,” Messi said. “Thank you to my teammates in Argentina and at PSG. I haven’t achieved anything on my own and I’m grateful to be able to share this with them.”
