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Tennis World No.1 Novak Djokovic has been crowned Laureus World Sportsman of the Year ahead of nominees Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
The 36-year-old has received the coveted award for a record-equalling fifth time. He previously won the award in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019. Djokovic ended 2023 with three Grand Slam titles, the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. Sadly, he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Wimbledon.
Reacting to the feat, the Serbian said (via Eurosport):
"I am incredibly honoured to have won my fifth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. I think back to 2012, when I won it for the first time as a 24-year-old. I am very proud to be here 12 years later, reflecting on a year that brought me and my fans a lot of excitement and success."
Max Verstappen, Noah Lyles and Armand Duplantis were nominated for the award alongside Novak Djokovic, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
Erling Haaland has broken several records since his arrival at Manchester City, while Lionel Messi won the World Cup in 2022
The Norwegian managed to bag a treble in his first season at the Etihad, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He scored an astonishing 52 goals across all competitions and also won the Golden Boot in the Premier League.
He also erased Alan Shearer and Andy Cole from the record books by scoring 36 goals in his debut Premier League season. He also etched his name as one of the greatest strikers Manchester City has ever seen by scoring a hat-trick in three consecutive home games.
The 23-year-old scored in each of his four away games for the Cityzens, becoming the first player in the history of the PL to do so.
He has already scored 31 goals across 38 matches across all competitions and with 20 goals in the league this season, Erling Haaland is tied with Cole Palmer in the race for the Golden Boot.
Lionel Messi ended the drought for an international trophy by lifting the World Cup trophy after defeating France 4-2 in the final back in 2022. The Argentine scored seven goals in the tournament, with two of those coming in the final against the former world champions.
The 36-year-old, since his arrival at Inter Miami, has broken several records. Just recently, he became the fastest player to reach 830 goals, achieving the milestone in 1,056 games, 100 games fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi also helped the Herons win their first trophy in North America as Miami beat Nashville on penalties in the Leagues Cup final last season.
