They were six world athletesor that this Monday they received the news that they had been included among the finalists in the main category of the Laureus award, which chooses the best athlete in the world. One of them was Rafael NadalDespite thanked for the nomination– he said publicly you prefer one of your competitors to win it in the short list
The contested trophy is one of the highest awards that are delivered in the world of sport. One that many want. And although the Spanish tennis player admitted feel honoured to be taken into consideration, he encouraged one of the two players who make up the list with him to win it.
It was neither more nor less than Lionel Messi, who He dedicated a story to her on Instagram admitting that he wants him to receive this year’s award for his performance in 2022.
“It is an honor to be nominated again for the Laureus Awards for ‘Best Athlete of the Year’, But this year…”wrote Nadal 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 next post which he performed immediately after, completing his sentence.
Sharing the same video again with all the athletes who are vying for the prize, the Spaniard was blunt: “Come on @leomessi, you deserve it” He published without hiding his admiration for the Argentine number 10.
The ‘Pulce’, for the first time as World Champion After the consecration in Qatar 2022, he was one of two footballers included in the award list.
The other player in question is kylian mbappehis partner in Paris Saint-Germain and in the second World Cup, with France.
In addition to them and Rafael Nadal, who has already revealed who is his favorite to win the award – even at the risk of losing it – the Dutch driver is also a candidate Max Verstappen, Swedish athlete Armand Duplantis and American basketball player Stephen Curry.
Lionel Messi’s nomination
Messi, 35 years old, stayed twice in a row with this award in 2019 and 2020, although on that second occasion it was shared with British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
“He inspired Argentina to glory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and continues to raise the bar in football” claimed the Laureus Academy to justify the choice of Rosario.
Nominees for the Laureus awards, which have been held since 2000, were determined through a vote carried out by sports media from all over the worldthough the winners will be chosen by a 71-member judging panel of the greatest sports legends of all time and announced during the second quarter of this year.
The Argentina national team was also nominated for the awards
The Argentine soccer team was not excluded from the nominations and was included in the category of “Best Team of the Year”after winning the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
Joining her in the vote are the England women’s football team, the men’s team of the real Madrid of Spain, the men’s team of french rugbyTHE Golden State Warriors of the NBA and the team Red Bullhe from Formula 1.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.