Lionel Messi Nominated for ESPY Best Athlete Award, Two Other Award Categories

• Lionel Messi is nominated in three categories for the 2023 ESPY Awards
• The annual ceremony is presented by American TV broadcaster ABC
• The Argentine skipper was also a big winner at the Laureus Sports Awards

Lionel Messi has been nominated in three categories for the 2023 ESPY Awards, a prize presented annually by American TV broadcaster, ABC.

Messi’s stellar season saw him find the back of the net 38 times, including seven goals and three assists as he captained Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title.

He scored two goals in the final against defending champions, France, at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.

Messi's performances at the global tournament have seen him nominated for the ESPY in the Best Championship Performance category. Leon Edwards (UFC), Nikola Jokic (NBA), and Rose Zhang (LPGA) are the other candidates in the category.

The Argentine veteran was also nominated in the best athlete category alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes (NFL), the Denver Nuggets' Jokic (NBA), and Aaron Judge (MLB).

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Messi is also a nominee in the best football player category alongside Aitana Bonmati, Erling Haaland, and Sophia Smith. He won the best international athlete award at the 2015 edition of the ESPYs.

Messi wins a Laureus award

Messi recently won a prestigious Laureus World Sports Award in 2022.

As reported by Sports Illustrated, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward was nominated for the prize alongside stars including Kylian Mbappe, Mondo Dduplantis, Rafael Nadal, Max Verstappen, and Stephen Curry.

Messi's contribution to Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning campaign proved decisive, as he won the Laureus award for the second time in his career.

After being honoured, he said, as quoted by Sports:

"For me to be at this gala, it's my first time here. It's an honour for me to share a nomination with all these enormous athletes whom I greatly admire, anyone could have won."

Inter Miami prepares for Messi

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Sports Brief previously reported on Jorge Mas, the owner of Inter Miami, reassuring fans the club was working on signing three to five new players this summer.

These additions will join the ranks of the team amid the highly anticipated MLS debut of Messi, which is believed to have been scheduled for sometime this July.