Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi and other sporting stars including Max Verstappen have received nominations for the prestigious Laureus award
Laureus Sports awards have announced the nominations for the prestigious Sportsman of the Year Award for 2023 and it includes multiple all-time greats. This particular category of the awards recognises the performances of the athletes over the past one year and it is no surprise that some of the legendary names from the sporting world are a part of this list. Top stars like Lionel Messi, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Katie Ledecky, Rafael Nadal, Tiger Woods, Stephanie Gilmore, Mikaela Shiffrin, Mondo Duplantis, Oksana Masters, Max Verstappen have all received nominations for this award.
Tennis icon Rafael Nadal believes that Lionel Messi is the most deserving candidate for the award this year. The Spaniard wrote on his Instagram story: “An honour to be nominated again for the @laureus sportsman of the year award but this year @leomessi, you deserve it.” Messi scripted history, leading Argentina to an incredible FIFA World Cup win in Qatar and he is certainly the overwhelming favourite to bag the prestigious award this year.
Fans react to Rafael Nadal’s sweet gesture on social media
Let us take a look at some of the reactions from fans on social media.
“For a Madridista, I admire how much Rafa seems to genuinely admire Messi as an athlete”, wrote an over-whelmed fan.
“I’m a Messi fanboy since forever but Duplantis has made history too. I think he deserves it more than Messi”, commented another fan.
“Nice sentiment from Rafa, but neither do deserve because in a world where it’s voted on achievements and not popularity, Duplantis is a no-brainer”, read a comment.
“Nadal deserves the award more than all the athletes in the world past or present combined”, stated a die-hard Nadal fan.
Another fan wrote: “Although I like Rafa, this one I agree, it belongs to Messi.”
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