Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has backed World Cup winner Lionel Messi to land the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award ahead of him.
- Nadal backs Messi to win sporting award
- Tennis star gained two grand slams in 2022
- Messi bagged the World Cup with Argentina
WHAT HAPPENED? Nadal loved a stellar 2022 as he gained the Australian Open and the French Open to transfer on to a record-breaking haul of 22 Grand Slams, which Novak Djokovic equalled by successful in Australia himself at the begin of 2023. However, the Spaniard nonetheless doesn’t assume that he deserves to win the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award over Messi, who helped Argentina pick up their third global crown after defeating France in the World Cup closing.
Nadal, who’s a widely known Real Madrid fan, took to Instagram after being confirmed amongst the closing nominees and stated: “An honour to be nominated again to the Laureus Sportsman of the Year… but… this year…Come on Leo Messi, you deserve it.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Apart from Nadal, Messi is up in opposition to fellow Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen (F1), Mondo Duplantis (Athletics), Steph Curry (Basketball) and Carlos Alcaraz (Tennis) for the males’s award.
WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? The ahead might be again in membership motion with PSG in opposition to Marseille in Ligue 1 on February 26.
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