Mexico City.- The Argentine Lionel Messi was doubly rewarded at the Laureus Awards gala, this Monday in Paris, when he received the award for Best Sportsman and Best Team of the Year along with his teammates from the world champion Albiceleste.
Messi had already won the Laureus Award for best sportsman of the year in 2020, but then he shared it with the British pilot Lewis Hamilton.
The prizes are delivered every year since 2000 by the Laureus Academy, through a jury made up of 71 great sports legends.
The 2023 ceremony was the first organized in person since 2020, after 2 virtual editions due to the restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. (AFP)
makes history
Messi, 35, is the first to win two awards in the same edition of the Laureus.
“It is an honor, even greater because the Laureus Awards take place this year in Paris, the city that has welcomed me and my family since we arrived in 2021. I thank all my teammates, not just those of the National Team Nacional but also to those of PSG. I wouldn’t have achieved anything alone and I’m glad to be able to share all this with them,” Messi said.
at last it’s yours
Jamaican athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 100m world champion for the fifth time last year in Eugene, United States, was awarded Best Sportswoman of the Year.
“This is the sixth time I’ve been nominated in this category, so to finally see the Laureus statuette in my hands is one of the greatest honors of my career,” said the 36-year-old veteran sprinter.
Others awards
Sportsman / Discipline / Prize
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) / tennis player / Revelation of the Year
Christian Eriksen (DEN) / footballer / Comeback of the Year
Catherine Debrunner (SUI) / marathon runner / Best Athlete with a Disability
Eileen Gu (CHI) / freestyle skier / Best Extreme Athlete
The TeamUp Program (represented by Robert Lewandowski), which uses physical activity to help reduce stress in refugee children, was also awarded.
