Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi, who has added the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best Awards to his personal collection over the past 12 months, is in contention for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award – an honor previously bestowed for you in 2023.

Meanwhile, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is also in the running for the Sportsperson award and spoke up: “Last year was a very special year for me and the whole team. I couldn’t score much. Such a goal would have been possible without my wonderful teammates, coaches and staff at the club, without whom success would not have been possible.”

“I’m really proud to nominate Laureus for the Athlete of the Year Award alongside so many other incredible athletes.”

On the other hand, Haaland’s parent team, Man City, is also competing for the Laureus World Team of the Year award, with head coach Pep Guardiola sharing a few words: “We are really proud of our club. we were nominated Laureus for the World Team of the Year Award. Of course, we were nominated because we won a lot last season and the credit must go to all the players as well as our staff who have worked hard throughout the season to compete in England and across Europe.”

“It’s an honor to be included in this illustrious list of teams that also achieved success at an elite sporting level last year.”

Elsewhere, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is among the nominees for the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award, with Bellingham competing against distance runner Josh Kerr and teenage tennis star Coco. Gauff, Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang and soccer players Linda Caicedo and Salma Paralluelo – who made headlines at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup .

The glitzy Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony will take place in Madrid on April 22. Novak Djokovic, Aitana Bonmati, Sha”Carri Richardson, Max Verstappen, Shericka Jackson and Simone Biles are among the other familiar names in attendance in a star-studded list of nominees in multiple categories.