On the morning of May 9, Messi was honored by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation as the sports figure of the year.
Lionel Messi, the renowned athlete from Argentina and PSG, has achieved an exceptional feat by winning both the Laureus award for his personal accomplishments and, along with his national team, the 2022 World Cup.
After an exhilarating penalty shootout win over France in Qatar last December, Lionel Messi, aged 35, achieved the first World Cup triumph of his career, which earned him an individual award. Additionally, on May 9, he was presented with the team award at a prestigious ceremony held in Paris, having also won the Ballon d’Or award seven times.
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Accompanied by his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, Messi was present at the ceremony. He had previously won the award in 2020. Despite being fined and suspended by PSG for two weeks for making an unsanctioned promotional trip to Saudi Arabia, Messi emerged victorious in the competition, surpassing his teammate Kylian Mbappe, among others.
Fans of PSG staged a protest against the club, in the presence of Messi and Neymar. Messi took to Twitter to apologize to PSG club for his unapproved trip to Saudi Arabia.
In the category of “Most Spectacular Comeback,” Christian Eriksen was recognized for his outstanding achievement. The Danish midfielder had previously suffered a stroke and now wears a defibrillator device, but continues to impress while playing for Manchester United.
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Moreover, numerous other exceptional individuals were recognized at the event, including tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, who won the breakthrough tournament award. Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was honored as the female athlete of the year, while Catherine Debrunner received the award for disabled athlete of the year.
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Messi and Robert Lewandowski are set to reunite as they are expected to be teammates at Barcelona next season.
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The Barcelona forward was recognized for his active involvement in charitable activities aimed at assisting children and young individuals impacted by war.
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Today, Messi is expected to train with his teammates for the upcoming match against Ajaccio on Saturday, as reported by ESPN.
Despite Messi’s absence, PSG managed to win 3-1 against Troyes last Sunday, bringing them closer to the Ligue 1 title once again.
Messi’s future remains uncertain as his agreement with PSG ends this season, and both parties seem to be going their separate ways.
According to Marca, Messi’s priority is still to play in Europe and preferably return to Barca.
However, if he doesn’t receive a suitable offer, there are reports that he may join Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), a team willing to offer him an annual salary of 400 million euros.
