World best footballer of the year, Lionel Messi has received another award.
This time the award is from Laureus Sports. He was given the award of ‘Team Athlete of the Year’ for his sterling performance for both club and country. The diminutive Argentine star received the prestigious award a day after breaking another record, scoring his 500th career goal after 623 games.
Lionel Messi was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in January, breaking the record with a five-time clinch of the award. Laureus Sports Awards presented him the award in Berlin in a well attended host party.
The star player was expected to pick up the highly coveted Sportsman of the Year Award, especially after his record Ballon d’Or award. The Sportsman of the Year Award was given to top tennis talent, Novak Djokovic. This makes it the third time the tennis star is receiving the award.
Boris Becker, Djokovic’s coach, heaped praises on the Serbian Professional.
“[Djokovic] had a great year again. He has played 88 matches, won 82. He won three out of the four Grand Slams, reached the final of the French Open, he’s won seven other tournaments. Very few players, if any, had a year like that,” he has in a statement.
The Catalan star failed to score in the fifth consecutive games in the match against Athletico Madrid. Barcelona crashed out after the loss despite a 2-1 advantage from the first leg.
The Argentine skipper has been linked with muscle problems. The striker was even reported to have complained of not been fully fit and that he even went to Venice to see a nutritionist. Even though Barcelona lost out in the UEFA Champions League, they remain on course to lift the La Liga and the League Cup.