Thursday, July 23, 2026

2024 Laureus Sports Awards: Messi, Haaland, Bellingham, others bag top nominations

Haaland is nominated in the Sportsman of the Year category alongside last year’s winner Messi.

• February 26, 2024
Messi, Haaland, Bellingham
Messi, Haaland, Bellingham

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham have been announced as nominees at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.

Haaland, with 52 goals in 53 games as City clinched a Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup treble last season, is nominated in the Sportsman of the Year category alongside last year’s winner Messi.

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic, F1 champion Max Verstappen, American 100m and 200m world champion Noah Lyles and two-time Pole Vault champion Mondo Duplantis were also nominated in the category.

World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati, Sha’Carri Richardson and others bagged nominations in the Sportswoman of the Year category.

Meanwhile, Bellingham, who has been on top of his game since he joined Real Madrid last summer, Tennis protege Coco Gauff, footballer Linda Caicedo, Josh Kerr, Salma Paralluelo and Qin Haiyang tango in the Breakthrough of the Year category.

See full nominations

Sportsman of the Year

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) – tennis

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) – athletics 

Erling Haaland (Norway) – football

Noah Lyles (USA) – athletics 

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – football

Max Verstappen (Netherlands) – motor racing 

Sportswoman of the Year

Aitana Bonmati (Spain) – football 

Shericka Jackson (Jamaica) – athletics

Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) – athletics

Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – athletics 

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – skiing

Iga Swiatek (Poland) – tennis 

Team of the year 

European Ryder Cup Team – golf

Germany men – basketball

Manchester City – football 

Red Bull – Formula 1

South Africa – rugby

Spain women – football

Breakthrough of the Year 

Jude Bellingham (GB) – football 

Linda Caicedo (Colombia) – football

Coco Gauff (USA) – tennis 

Qin Haiyang (China) – swimming 

Josh Kerr (UK) – athletics

Salma Paralluelo (Spain) – football 

Comeback of the Year 

Simone Biles (USA) – gymnastics

Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast) – football 

Katarina Johnson-Thompson (UK) – athletics 

Siya Kolisi (South Africa) – rugby

Jamal Murray (Canada) – basketball 

Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) – tennis 

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability 

Simone Barlaam (Italy) – swimming 

Danylo Chufarov (Ukraine) – swimming 

Diede de Groot (Netherlands) – tennis 

Luca Ekler (Hungary) – athletics 

Nicole Murray (New Zealand) – cycling

Markus Rehm (Germany) – athletics

Action Sportsperson of the Year

Rayssa Leal (Brazil) – skateboarding

Caroline Marks (USA) – surfing 

Kirsten Neuschafer (South Africa) – sailing 

Bethany Shriever (GB) – BMX 

Filipe Toledo (Brazil) – surfing 

Arisa Trew (Australia) – skateboarding

Sport for Good 

Bola Pra Frente (Brazil) multi-sport and employability 

Dancing Grounds (USA) – dancing and social integration

Fundacion Rafa Nadal (Spain) – tennis and education 

ISF Cambodia – football & education

Justice Desk Africa (South Africa) – multi-sport and human rights 

Obiettivo Napoli (Italy) – multi-sport and inclusion

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