Despite having a not-so-successful spell at Paris Saint-Germain, currently suspended, Lionel Messi won the 2022 Sportsman of the Year trophy at the Laureus Gala in Paris.

Lionel Messi, the first footballer to be named Sportsman of the Year in the history of the Laureus Gala

The Laureus Gala 2023 was held in Paris on Monday night, which was also attended by Lionel Messi and his wife.

Even if his situation at Paris Saint-Germain is not very good, Lionel Messi is scoring on a personal level again.

At the end of 2022, Lionel Messi fulfilled his biggest dream and won the World Cup title in Qatar with the Argentine national team.

Thus, Lionel Messi was recognized as the athlete of 2022 and became the first football player to receive this distinction.

The current Paris Saint-Germain player was ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen and Rafael Nadal.

Messi also won the award in 2020, but then he shared the award with Lewis Hamilton.

He was also awarded Team of the Year by the Argentine national team, becoming the first athlete to receive two Laureus awards in the same year.

“I’m really excited to be taking part this year – especially since it’s happening in the city where I currently live. I want to be able to enjoy this distinction. It was a very special moment in Qatar. It was the trophy I was missing. It was also special for my teammates and the whole country. Football was a way of life for me. Sport generally unites people with values

I want to thank all my teammates, not only from the national team but also from PSG – I didn’t achieve any of this alone and I’m grateful to be able to share it all with them.” – sent by Lionel Messi.

Jamaican athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the best athlete. Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was chosen as the opening of the year. In the “Comeback of the Year” the winner was the Danish football player Christian Eriksen. Nadia Comaneci is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.