Argentine star Lionel Messi, striker for Paris Saint-Germain, received the 2022 World Sportsman of the Year award during the La Royce World Sports Awards in Paris.
Messi has been named the 2022 World Athlete of the Year after leading his country to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup last December.
Messi competed with his French club colleague Kylian Mbappé, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, Swedish pole vault champion Armand Duplantis, Dutch star Max Verstappen, Formula 1 world champion and American basketball player Stephen Curry.
Messi previously won the award in 2020 alongside British driver Lewis Hamilton, a 7-time Formula One world champion.
Upon receiving the award, Messi said: “It is a special honor, especially since this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards takes place in Paris, a city that has welcomed my family since we arrived here in 2021.”
He continued: “I would like to thank all my teammates, not only from the national team, but also from Paris Saint-Germain. I did not achieve all this on my own, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share everything with them.”
It is noteworthy that for the first time in the capital, Paris, the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony was held, which is annually awarded to the best athlete in the world, and is a kind of Oscar in sports.
Source: agencies
