The Laureus World Sports Award is an annual sports award that honours both individuals and teams from the sporting world for their achievements over the past year.
Established in 1999 by Laureus Sport for Good founding patrons Daimier and Richemont, the term ‘Laureus’ is derived from the Greek word laurel which is considered a traditional symbol for victory in athletics.
This award’s programmes look to channel the power of sports to bring an end to discrimination, disadvantages, and violence, thereby highlighting the power of sports to change the world.
Golfer Tiger Woods was the first-ever recipient of the Laureus World Sports Award in the men’s categories and there have been plenty of different recipients of the prestigious award since.
Football superstar Lionel Messi won the Laureus World Sports Award for men in 2023 after leading the Argentina football team to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Messi remains the only footballer to have won the award in the men’s category. On the women’s side, Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí became the first footballer to win Sportswoman of the Year when she took the 2024 award.
He also shared the 2020 edition of the Laureus Award with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, making him a two-time recipient of the Sportsman of the Year award.
Bonmatí’s award covered the 2023 season, in which Spain won the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and she is still the only footballer to have won in the sportswoman category. There have also been plenty of winners from the world of football in the other categories of the award.
The likes of Manchester United, the France national football team, the Brazil national football team, the Greece national football team, the Italy national football team, the Spain national football team, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, the Germany national football team, and the Argentina national football team, the Spain women’s national football team, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all won the award for the best team of the year category.
The Italy and France national football teams, in fact, have won the award twice for triumphant FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro campaigns. Among clubs, German giants Bayern Munich remain the only side to have won the Team of the Year award twice.
Another category where footballers have been the recipient of the Laureus Award is the Comeback of the Year category, which recognises extraordinary sporting returns by athletes who have overcome great adversity.
Two football players have won the Laureus Award for Comeback of the Year. These players are Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldo and Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen.
While Ronaldo won the award after recovering from a near career-ending knee injury and leading Brazil to their fifth World Cup title in 2002, Christian Eriksen won it after making a return to football after suffering a cardiac arrest on a football pitch.
During a match in UEFA Euro 2020, Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest. After intense treatment on the pitch, the Dane was revived and made a successful return to football, playing three seasons for Manchester United before joining Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in September 2025.
Football has also taken over the Breakthrough of the Year category in recent seasons. Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham won it in 2024 and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal followed him in 2025 — the first two footballers to win the award since it was introduced in 2000.
Laureus Award football winners
Laureus Award for Sportsman of the Year
| Year | Sportsman of the Year |
| 2020 | Lionel Messi |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi |
Laureus Award for Sportswoman of the Year
| Year | Sportswoman of the Year |
| 2024 | Aitana Bonmatí |
Laureus Award for Team of the Year
| Year | Team of the Year |
| 2000 | Manchester United |
| 2001 | France |
| 2003 | Brazil |
| 2005 | Greece |
| 2007 | Italy |
| 2011 | Spain |
| 2012 | FC Barcelona |
| 2014 | Bayern Munich |
| 2015 | Germany |
| 2019 | France |
| 2021 | Bayern Munich |
| 2022 | Italy |
| 2023 | Argentina |
| 2024 | Spain (women) |
| 2025 | Real Madrid |
| 2026 | Paris Saint-Germain |
Laureus Award for Comeback of the Year
| Year | Comeback of the Year |
| 2003 | Ronaldo |
| 2023 | Christian Eriksen |
Laureus Award for Breakthrough of the Year
| Year | Breakthrough of the Year |
| 2024 | Jude Bellingham |
| 2025 | Lamine Yamal |
Photo credit: Alamy