Lionel Messi
, he always said, does not weigh individual titles over collective ones.
But this Monday he has the possibility of adding one more award to his enormous professional career, right in the middle of the most tense week since his landing at Paris Saint Germain in France, where he was not called up for this Sunday's game against
Troyes
.
And, precisely in Paris, the Laureus awards
will be delivered
, the Oscars of sport, where a panel of experts choose the best in the world from all disciplines.
The 'Flea', who at the beginning of the year won FIFA's 'The Best' award, was included among the finalists of the main category of these awards for the first time as world champion, after the title in Qatar 2022. The ceremony will be this Monday from 12:00 (Argentine time) at the Pavillon Vendome in the French capital, and the soccer player from Rosario did
not confirm his attendance at the event
, so there is
little expectation regarding his presence
.
Among his rivals there is only one footballer, his teammate at PSG, the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, and then the Spanish tennis player
Rafael Nadal
, the Dutch pilot
Max Verstappen
, the Swedish athlete
Armand Duplantis
, and the American basketball player
Stephen Curry
.
The disputed trophy is one of the highest awards given in the world of sports.
One that many long for.
And of the six candidates there was one who publicly expressed that he would love for Messi to be the one to obtain it.
It was Rafa Nadal, who -although he appreciated the nomination- said publicly that he prefers that one of his competitors in the shortlist win it.
Rafael Nadal's Instagram message to Lionel Messi.
"It is an honor to be nominated again at the Laureus Awards as 'best athlete of the year', but this year..."
, Nadal wrote in a first publication in which he also shared the official video with which he communicated to the candidates for recognition.
His sentence ended in a subsequent post that he made immediately after re-sharing the same video with all the athletes who are competing for the award.
"Come on @leomessi, you deserve it", she published without hiding her admiration for the Argentine 10.
Later, Messi returned the praise of the former number 1:
"That an athlete as great as you gives me that leaves me speechless... Thank you very much Rafael Nadal"
, he published.
Lionel Messi's response to Rafael Nadal.
photo capture
Who votes?
Messi, 35, only won this award once, although it was
shared
with British Formula 1 driver
Lewis Hamilton
.
For this reason, on this occasion, it could be the first in which he remains alone with the prize that he has among the most successful Swiss tennis player
Roger Federer
(2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2018).
"He inspired Argentina to glory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and continues to raise the bar in football
," argued the Laureus Academy to justify the choice of Rosario.
The nominees for the Laureus awards -which have been held since 2000- were determined through a vote carried out by sports media from around the world, although the winners will be chosen by a 71-member panel of the greatest sports legends from all over the world
. times
, and announced during the second quarter of this year.
Among them, there are only two Argentines
: former rugby player
Hugo Porta
, who is considered the best Argentine player in this sport in history and is a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame;
and former Leona
Luciana 'Lucha' Aymar
, world field hockey star and the only one to receive the International Federation (FIH) award for best player of the year eight times.
In the women's division, meanwhile, those who will aspire to the highest prize will be the Polish tennis player
Iga Swiatek
, the Spanish soccer player
Alexia Putellas
, the American swimmer
Katie Ledecky
, the American skier
Mikaela Shiffrin
, the Jamaican athlete
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
and her colleague American
Sydney Mclaughlin Levrone
.
La Escaloneta, too
Argentina's world championship has made her the most attractive attraction in soccer.Credit...Agustin Marcarian/Reuters
The Argentine soccer team was not left out of the nominations and was included in the 'Best Team of the Year' category, after winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Joining her in the vote are the England women's soccer team, the Real Madrid men's team from Spain, the France men's rugby team, the NBA's Golden State Warriors, and the Red Bull Formula 1 team. .
Photo: Alejandro PAGNI / AFP.
In addition, among the revelations of 2022, there is the Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, who this Sunday will play the final of the Masters 1000 in Madrid, who will fight the Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina, the Moroccan men's soccer team, the American skater Nathan Chen, the American golfer Scottie Scheffler, and the Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan.
Finally, five inspiring sports programs have been shortlisted for the Laureus Sport for Good award, given each year to a person or organization who, in the opinion of Academy members, have significantly contributed to transforming the lives of children and young people through sport.
This year, these include a movement-based psychosocial support intervention developed by War Child, Save the Children and UNICEF Netherlands, which uses physical activity to relieve stress in children affected by war or conflict and which it is particularly active in supporting refugees from Ukraine (TeamUp);
a program that uses boxing to challenge stereotypes and empower young women in Kenya (boxgirls);
a soccer project aimed at educating and uplifting the homeless population in India (Slum Soccer);
a program whose mission is to make sport inclusive for people with disabilities in South Africa (Made For More) and a project in Germany that uses action sports to help orphaned and migrant children integrate into new communities (High Five ).
look too
Lionel Messi was not called up by PSG for the match against Troyes despite the apologies he offered
Messi chose to be Messi to apologize in France: when he had the chance to break up, he decided to rebuild
Messi and his apologies to PSG: what is behind the video that the Argentine recorded in the midst of the controversy
Messi apologized to PSG in a video and explained why he missed a practice
The PSG coach avoided talking about Messi's sanction but was clear: "I did not make the decision to suspend him"
