In terms of dominance, no one had a finer year than Verstappen who won a record 15 races in a single F1 season. Lioenl Messi (football)Īlmost certainly Verstappen’s toughest opponent on the list with one of the greatest football players of all time achieving the ultimate goal of winning the World Cup.Ī World Cup win was the only trophy that had eluded Messi in his glittering career but he captained Argentina to victory in Qatar last December, defeating France on penalties in a memorable final during which Messi scored two goals.Īs well as the trophy itself, Messi picked up the Golden Ball handed out to the player of the tournament. He scored eight goals in the 2022 World Cup including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina but it was not enough for him to win the trophy as his home country missed out on penalties.įor his club side, Mbappe set a Ligue 1 record by finding top scorer and top assist provider for PSG. Here are the six candidates for the award and why they are on the list: Kylian Mbappe (football)Īrguably the hottest property in all of sport with the French star Kylian Mbappe again enjoying a stellar year. Verstappen faces tough competition though with big names such as Lionel Messi and Rafa Nadal on the list. Should Verstappen win the 2023 award, he will become the fourth athlete to win consecutive awards, joining Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Novak Djokovic on the list.

The Dutchman is one of six athletes nominated for this year’s award and Verstappen could make it two from two having picked up the accolade in 2022 for his heroics in the 2021 title fight against Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen has a chance to retain his title after he was again nominated for Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

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