History Maker: Messi shines at 2023 Laureus World Sportsman award

Lionel Messi has won the 2023 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, making history in the process.

This makes it the second time he has won the award, and he is still the only footballer to have won it.

The feat also makes Messi the first man to scoop individual and collective awards in the same year.

Speaking at the award ceremony on Thursday in Paris, Messi 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 team-mates, 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.

“I want to thank the Laureus Academy – what makes these Awards so special to us as athletes is the fact that they are voted for by these incredible champions, my heroes, and this puts my sporting achievements in true context.

“This is the first time I have been the sole winner of the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award and after a year when we finally won another prize we had been chasing for a long time, at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it’s an honour to be able to hold this Laureus Statuette.”

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LAUREUS SPORTS AWARD

The Laureus World Sports Awards are an annual ceremony that honours outstanding individuals and teams from the world of sports. The awards were established in 1999 by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, an organization that uses the power of sport to promote social change and improve the lives of young people around the world.

The Laureus Awards recognize achievements in various categories, including Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Team of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year, Comeback of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Award. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, a panel of over 60 sports legends.

Winning a Laureus Award is considered one of the highest honours in sports, and the ceremony is often referred to as the “Oscars of sports.” The awards have been presented to some of the biggest names in sports, including Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods.

In addition to honoring sports achievements, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation uses the proceeds from the awards ceremony to support more than 200 community sports projects around the world.