“Leaves me speechless,” Lionel Messi responds to Rafael Nadal’s special message declaring him Laureus Sportsperson of the Year

Leo Messi thanks the Tennis legend for his post showing mutual respect

“Leaves me speechless,” Lionel Messi responds to Rafael Nadal’s special message declaring him Laureus Sportsperson of the Year

Rafael Nadal actively supports Lionel Messi for Laureus Sportsman of the Year in 2023. (Image via Getty)

Rafael Nadal has recommended Lionel Messi‘s name for Laureus Sportsman of the Year in 2023 after his FIFA World Cup victory. Both were nominated for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award for 2023 on Monday, with Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen, Armand Duplantis, and Stephen Curry.

The 22-time grand slam winner, Rafael Nadal posted an Instagram story and stated, “An honor to be nominated again to the Laureus Sportsman of the Year … but … this year … vamos @leomessi te lo mereces tu (Come on Lionel Messi you deserve it)” Messi responded to his story by stating, “That such a great sportsman tell me this leaves me speechless. Thank you very much, Rafa Nadal… You also deserve it for the way you compete. You are a winner, and we still have a lot of competition for the award. All the nominees deserve it this year!”

https://youtu.be/22ZA1onTAg8

He confessed that he was overjoyed when Messi hoisted the World Cup and that he had gone through a lot to achieve this. Nadal is now recovering from an injury and Messi struck a wonderful freekick for PSG to create a comeback against Lille. Respect between these two demonstrates that the how much respect the legends of these two different sports have for each other.

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Will Lionel Messi compete in the World Cup in 2026?

(Image via EPA)

There are speculations that Lionel Messi will be able to compete in the 2026 World Cup. Earlier in December, the 35-year-old led La Albiceleste to their third FIFA World Cup victory.

Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni said, “Being in the next World Cup will be entirely Leo’s decision. If his body can take it for me, he will be there. Behind our recent World Cup title, there was a communion of intentions between the fans, the staff, and the players… something emotional that made sense of belonging for this unique shirt even stronger for us.” He added, “Then, having a player like Messi was, and is, obviously, an advantage. As a former teammate, training him is beautiful. I see how the other players look at him and follow him. He’s the best.”

With 16 goals and 14 assists across all competitions, Messi has had a fantastic season and shows no signs of ageing. He also delivered a splendid free kick to PSG’s victory over Lille.