Messi Receives Sports 'Oscar'

Argentinian national team player and French club Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has been recognized as the 'Athlete of the Year' at the 'Laureus 2023' awards ceremony. This information was published on the award's official Twitter page.

Messi surpassed his teammate Kylian Mbappé, double Formula 1 champion Dutch driver Max Verstappen, world record-holding Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, and American basketball player Stephen Curry in the race for the award.

The Argentinian national football team also won the 'Team of the Year' award. Messi is the first athlete in the history of the awards to receive both the 'Athlete of the Year' and 'Team of the Year' accolades in the same year.

It’s worth noting that in December 2022, Lionel Messi led the Argentinian national team to victory at the World Cup held in Qatar, becoming a world champion for the first time in his career. In February, Messi also received the title of FIFA's Best Player of 2022.