Lionel Messi has been named sportsman of the year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Messi, who finally realised his World Cup dream in Qatar, also accepted the team of the year award on behalf of Argentina, who beat France on penalties in last year’s epic final.
The 35-year-old accepted the accolades at a ceremony in Paris just hours after it was confirmed that he had returned to Paris Saint-Germain following a club suspension.
Messi, who is the first athlete to win both Laureus awards in the same year, thanked his club as well as international team-mates.
He said: “This is a special honour, particularly as the Laureus World Sports Awards are in Paris this year, the city that has welcomed my family since we came here in 2021.
“I want to thank all my teammates, not only from the national team but also at PSG – I have achieved none of this alone and I am grateful to be able to share everything with them.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who won the 100m gold medal at the World Athletics Championships, won the Laureus sportswoman of the year award, while Manchester United and Denmark footballer Christian Eriksen won a special comeback award after returning to the game following a cardiac arrest.
Fraser-Pryce’s 100m gold came 13 years after her first and the 36-year-old has more world sprint titles than any other athlete.
She ran a sub-10.7-seconds 100m seven times in 2022, three more than the previous best for a female sprinter in a calendar year.
“I was thrilled to be nominated alongside such inspiring women athletes, and to win this award, voted for by some of the greatest sportsmen and women of all time, is just amazing,” she said.
“This is the sixth time I’ve been nominated in this category, so to finally hold the Laureus statuette in my hands is one of the greatest honours of my career.”
The award winners were voted for by a selection of sporting greats who make up the members of the Laureus Academy.
&uuid=(email))