For the first time in the 20-year history of the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards, the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award was given to two sporting icons.
Lionel Messi of Barcelona was the other joint recipient with both athletes receiving the same number of votes from the jury.
While the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team driver claimed his 6th F1 Drivers’ World Championship, Lionel Messi was named the Best FIFA Men’s Player as the playmaker led his team to the Spanish League title and the semi-finals of the Champions League where they lost to soon-to-be Premier League champions, Liverpool.
Other sportsmen nominated for the award were golfer Tiger Woods, tennis player Rafael Nadal, Moto GP champion Marc Marquez and marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge.
Alongside Lewis’ personal accolade, his Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team was also nominated for the World Team of the Year award, for the sixth time.
They were one of six teams nominated for the award which included Liverpool FC, the Toronto Raptors, the US Women’s Football team, the Spanish Men’s Basketball team and the South African Rugby Union team which claimed the award.
