Ousmane Dembele has claimed the 2 largest particular person prizes in soccer over the previous yr: the Ballon d’Or and The Greatest FIFA Males’s Participant award. Now, the French winger might add one other prestigious trophy that Lionel Messi has lifted previously — and that eluded Cristiano Ronaldo all through his profession.
The nominees for the 2026 Laureus Awards have been introduced on Tuesday, with the ceremony set to happen April 20 in Madrid. The awards, created in 2000 by the Laureus Sport for Good Basis, acknowledge the world’s high athletes throughout all sports activities.
Dembele is the one soccer participant nominated for the primary Sportsman of the Yr award. Becoming a member of him on the shortlist are Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, Spanish MotoGP rider Marc Marquez, Slovenian bike owner Tadej Pogacar, and Italian tennis participant Jannik Sinner.
It marks the primary nomination for the French winger, who constructed a robust case throughout the 2024-25 season to be thought of among the many easiest athletes on the planet. He led Paris Saint-Germain on a historic run that included the UEFA Champions League title — the primary in membership historical past and solely the second ever received by a French membership.
Different soccer nominations on the Laureus Awards
Along with Ousmane Dembele’s nomination in the primary class, soccer is represented in a number of different classes on the 2026 Laureus Awards. Aitana Bonmati, star of Spain and Barcelona, is a finalist for Sportswoman of the Yr.
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PSG standout Need Doue is nominated for Breakthrough of the Yr. Leah Williamson of Arsenal is a finalist for Comeback of the Yr, whereas Paris Saint-Germain and the England ladies’s nationwide group are each nominated for Staff of the Yr.
Messi received twice, Ronaldo by no means did
To grasp the importance of the Laureus Award, take into account this revealing statistic: since its creation in 2000, the primary Sportsman of the Yr honor has been awarded to a soccer participant solely twice. On each events, the recipient was Lionel Messi.
The Argentine ahead shared the award with Lewis Hamilton in 2020 whereas taking part in for Barcelona, and received it once more in 2023 following his triumph with Argentina on the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He had additionally been a finalist six different instances.
Cristiano Ronaldo, in the meantime, has by no means received a Laureus Award. He was nominated 5 instances — first in 2009 after profitable his first Ballon d’Or the earlier yr, and most just lately in 2018 after capturing his remaining UEFA Champions League title with Actual Madrid.
