Carlos Alcaraz, Laureus award for revelation athlete on the night of Messi's two awards

Just over 24 hours have passed since Carlos Alcaraz won the final of the Madrid Masters and the Murcian returns to be recognized for his effort tonight in Paris. The tennis player has taken the Laureus Award for revelation athlete of the year after winning the last US Open and proclaiming himself the youngest number one in the world. The triumph of Alcaraz has been minimally overshadowed on the night in which Leo Messi has been recognized twice, by himself, as the best athlete and with the selection of Argentina, as the best team.

The Laureus Awards are the most important and prestigious awards in the world of sport. Every year since 2012 they recognize athletes of all modalities among eight categories. In this edition Alcaraz has imposed himself on the other nominees of the category, among which were also the Moroccan football team, the first African team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, and the tennis player Elena Rybakina, winner of Wimbledon in 2022 and finalist in the last Australian Open.

Leo Messi has undoubtedly been the great winner of the night. The Argentine, world champion in Qatar and winner of The Best, has taken the award ahead of his teammate, Kylian Mbappé, Rafa Nadal, or Max Verstappen, double champion of the Formula 1 World Championship. The PSG player has not only collected his second recognition for best athlete, after winning in 2020, but that year he shared it with the Formula 1 driver, Lewis Hamilton.

Messi's celebration did not end there, as he also won with the Argentine national team the Laureus Award for the best team. The South American team lifted its third World Cup in Qatar after beating France in one of the best finals in living memory. "For us the World Cup was an unforgettable adventure. I can't explain what it felt like to go back to Argentina and see what our victory had meant for the people. It's an experience I'll never forget," Messi said. Argentina took the award ahead of Real Madrid, one of the Spanish representatives.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was the winner in the women's category. The 36-year-old Jamaican sprinter has eight Olympic medals and ten world championships. The athlete has taken the Laureus for her performance at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, where she took gold in the 100 meters, and two silvers in 200m and 4x100m. Fraser-Pryce has imposed herself at the gala on other athletes such as Alexia Putellas, winner of the Golden Ball, skier Mikaela Shiffrin, tennis player Iga Swiatek, record swimmer Katie Ledecky and athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Footballer Christian Eriksen was recognised with the most outstanding comeback award after his return to the highest level after suffering a cardiac arrest during the European Championship in 2021. Catherine Debrunner won the award for best athlete with a disability after winning the Berlin Marathon in 2022. Eileen Gu, Olympic freestyle ski champion, won in the category of best action athlete.

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