Messi and the Spanish women’s team, candidates for the Laureus Sports Awards
Madrid (AFP) – Nominees for the Laureus Sports Awards include Argentine star Lionel Messi and the 2023 world champions Spain national football team, which also includes Dutch driver Max Verstappen and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.
First modification:
1 min
The latter, who holds the record for Grand Slam titles won (24), will be up against Messi, the 2022 world champion, and Verstappen, who was crowned Formula One world champion in 2023, in the Sportsman of the Year category. third time in a row.
At the April 22 ceremony in Madrid, pole vault record holder Armand Duplantis, 100m world champion Noah Lyles and Manchester City goalscorer Erling Haaland will also be nominated for the award, which was decided by a panel of 1,300 sports journalists .
In the women’s category, the favorite in the Athlete of the Year category is the world champion in the Spanish national team and winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or, Aitana Bonmati.
Spain, who have just qualified for the Paris Olympics and the Nations League final, are among the contenders for Team of the Year alongside Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who achieved a historic treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League). ).
Jude Bellingham, the English “golden boy” of Real Madrid, is nominated among the discoveries of the year along with Barcelona scorer Salma Paralluelo.
Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastian Haller, who won the African Cup with Ivory Coast after beating cancer, is favorite to win the comeback title of the year.
© 2024 AFP