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‘Come on Leo Messi, you deserve it’: Rafael Nadal backs Argentine World Cup winner to clinch Laureus Sportsman of the Year award before him, despite tennis legend taking his Grand Slam tally to TWENTY-TWO with glory at the Australian and French Open last year.
- Nadal was nominated for the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award
- The tennis legend said he was ‘honoured’ but felt Lionel Messi should win it
- Nadal won the Australian and French Open in 2022, while Messi won the World Cup
Rafael Nadal has backed World Cup winner Lionel Messi to win the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award before him, despite winning a 22nd Grand Slam in 2022.
Both athletes enjoyed a stellar year, with Nadal triumphing at both the Australian Open and the French Open, while Messi finally won the only trophy that had eluded him for so long in Qatar.
By winning both big name tennis titles, Nadal went on to a record 22 Grand Slams, which Novak Djokovic equaled by winning the Australian Open in early 2023.
The Laureus Sportsman of the Year award recognizes the achievements of athletes and was recently won by F1 champion Max Verstappen.
But Nadal, a huge Real Madrid fan, has suggested there can be no other winner than Paris Saint-Germain star Messi, who scored twice for Argentina in the World Cup final.
Rafael Nadal has endorsed World Cup winner Lionel Messi (pictured) to win the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award ahead of him.
Tennis icon Nadal raised his Grand Slam tally to 22 with victories at the Australian and French Open in 2022
“It’s an honor to be nominated again for Sportsman of the Year by The Laureus,” the tennis legend said on Instagram.
But… this year… come on, Leo Messi, you deserve it.
Messi’s PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé, whose France team lost to Argentina in the World Cup final, is also nominated for the men’s award.
Meanwhile, two-time F1 champion Verstappen is also ready to gong again, as is NBA star Steph Curry, who led the Golden State Warriors to a fourth NBA championship in eight years.
Swedish Olympic gold medalist Armand Duplantis, who currently holds the world record for indoor and outdoor pole vaulting, closes the list of nominees.
Golden State is also nominated for the Team of the Year along with Messi’s Lionesses of Argentina and England, who were crowned European champions last year.
Soccer player Alexia Putellas, tennis star Iga Swiatek, swimmer Katie Ledecky, skier Mikaela Shiffrin and sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are competing for the Sportswoman of the Year Award.
Fraser-Price won a record fifth 100m world title, McLaughlin-Levrone broke a world record to clinch the 400m title, while American swimmer Ledecky won a record fourth goal medal at the world aquatics championships. .
Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen and Tiger Woods lead a shortlist of six nominees for Comeback of the Year.
Nadal, a big fan of Real Madrid, posted on his Instagram: ‘Come on Leo Messi, you deserve it’