After tennis legend Raphael Nadal backed him to win the 2023 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi was in awe.
Due to their outstanding accomplishments in 2022, the two renowned sports figures have both been nominated for the award.
While acknowledging his nomination, Nadal claimed in an Instagram post that Messi was more deserving of the prize.
“An honour to be nominated again for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award… but this year, come on Lionel Messi, you deserve it,” wrote Nadal on Instagram.
Messi in response wrote: “That such a great sportsman like you thinks of me like that leaves me speechless.
“Thank you so much, Rafael Nadal; you too deserve everything for the way you compete every time you step on the court.”
“You are a winner; everyone [the nominees] deserves the Laureus Sport this year!”
Nadal has previously spoken about how happy he was to see Messi win the World Cup.
“That someone so great reaches the culmination with a title that was missing, of this calibre, with all that it means for Argentina, it seemed fair to me, I enjoyed it and I was moved,” he told AS in December.
“Without supporting Argentina, when Messi scored the third goal, tears came to my eyes because of the emotion of seeing someone so great achieve what they were missing and someone who had suffered so much to achieve it.”
Nadal and Messi have been nominated for the award alongside Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen, Armand Duplantis, and Steph Curry.
Nadal won Australian Open and French Open and finished 2022 as World number 2 while Messi’s landmark achievement was leading Argentina to win the World Cup.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are held annually to acknowledge individuals and teams from the world of sports.