The Argentine could become the first individual footballer to ever win the gong, with the Catalans looking to reclaim the title they won back in 2012
Lionel Messi and Barcelona have received nominations for the prestigious Laureus Awards, which take place in Berlin later this year.
The awards, which recognise achievement in the world of sport, have been running since 2000, with Messi in with a chance of becoming the first footballer to be named Sportsman of the Year.
The 28-year-old, who was crowned the game’s best when he won the Ballon d’Or in January, will battle it out with Steph Curry, Lewis Hamilton, Jordan Spieth, three-time winner Usain Bolt and Novak Djokovic, who has won the crown twice.
Messi, however, could be eclipsed by Carli Lloyd, the USA women’s star who is hoping to become the first footballer of either s3x to win an individual award.
Lloyd is nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year prize but faces competition from athletes Tirunesh Dibaba and Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce, swimmer Katie Ledecky, skier Anna Fenninger and last season’s winner, tennis star Serena Williams.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have been nominated for Team of the Year, a title they won in 2012 and a category that football has traditionally dominated, with nine of 16 previous winners coming from the sport. The winner in 2015 was the German national side, who won the World Cup in Brazil the previous summer.
Barca find themselves up against the US women’s national football side, as well as the Mercedes F1 team. The World Cup-winning New Zealand rugby team, record-breaking NBA outfit Golden State Warriors and the Great Britain Davis Cup side are also up for the gong.
The winners will be announced on April 18.
- Goal