Laureus Awards: Lionel Messi, Rafael Nadal and Max Verstappen Among Nominees

Laureus Awards: Upcoming Tennis stars, Carlos Alcaraz & Elena Rybakina were nominated in the breakthrough category.

Lionel Messi has said he would like to play some games as the world champion.

(Photo: PTI)

Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup title, along with Kylian Mbappe, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, NBA champion Steph Curry and pole vault world-record holder Mondo Duplantis were among the nominees announced for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.

The nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award spent 2022 climbing to the very pinnacle of their sport.

Messi collected the one prize that had eluded him by leading Argentina to the World Cup while Kylian Mbappe, whose hat-trick in the final earned him the Golden Boot as the World Cup's leading goalscorer got shortlisted.

Meanwhile, Nadal ended 2022 alone at the top of the all-time list of men's Grand Slam champions with 22 titles after victory in Australia and France.

Max Verstappen joined Messi and Nadal as past winners of this Award on the 2023 shortlist after defending his Formula One world title. Duplantis broke the pole vault world record on three occasions and won world titles indoors and out. Steph Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a fourth NBA championship in eight years.

The Formula 1 world champion and current Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Max Verstappen said: "It's an honour to be nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. Winning last year was an incredible moment for me: it is such a prestigious accolade, and it means even more when you're up against the world's best athletes. To be shortlisted again is an achievement in itself, so thank you to my team Oracle Red Bull Racing for the support throughout our Championship winning year, and thank you to the world's media for nominating me."

Six Nominees have been selected across seven nominated Laureus categories, with six inspirational programmes also shortlisted for the Laureus Sport for Good Award.

More than 1,400 members of the Laureus Global Media Nominations Panel decided on all but one category; the shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability Award was chosen by a specialist panel from the International Paralympic Committee.

Fraser-Pryce, McLaughlin-Levrone Leading the Race in Women’s Category:

The race for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award is led by two athletes who lit up the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became a five-time champion over 100m, while Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added the world title to her Olympic crown with a world record in the 400m hurdles.

At the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Katie Ledecky won four golds, taking her total to 22, a record for a female swimmer. Alexia Putellas, led FC Barcelona to a perfect season in the Spanish league and claimed a second Ballon d'Or. Mikaela Shiffrin regained her overall title at the Alpine Ski World Cup, while Iga Swiatek emerged from 2022 as the undisputed No.1 in women's tennis, winning in Paris and New York.

Two meteoric tennis talents have been nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. Carlos Alcaraz gave a preview of the next era in the men's game, winning the US Open to end the year as the sport's youngest-ever No.1-ranked player. In the women's game, Elena Rybakina won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD:

Steph Curry (USA) Basketball
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics
Kylian Mbappe (France) Football
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Football
Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis
Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Motor Racing

LAUREUS WORLD SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD:

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics
Katie Ledecky (USA) Swimming
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Athletics
Alexia Putellas (Spain) Football
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing
Iga Swiatek (Poland) Tennis

LAUREUS WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD:

Argentina Men's Football Team
England Women's Football Team
France Men's Rugby Team
Golden State Warriors (USA) Basketball
Real Madrid (Spain) Football
Oracle Red Bull Racing (Austria)

LAUREUS WORLD BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARD:

Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Tennis
Tobi Amusan (Nigeria) Athletics
Nathan Chen (USA) Figure Skating
Morocco Men's Football Team
Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) Tennis
Scottie Scheffler (USA) Golf