King' Mbappe or 'out of order' Messi?

The 2023 Laureus World Sport Award nominees were announced on Monday with Paris Saint-Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi set to go head-tohead for the biggest gong of them all. Both football superstars last played on opposite ends of the pitch in what has widely been lauded as "the best World Cup final ever", where Messi's Argentina beat Mbappe's France in FIFA's global showpiece in Qatar last year. But in April the PSG duo will again vie for a piece of silverware after they were nominated for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award along with Max Verstappen (Formula 1, Netherlands), Mondo Duplantis (Athletics, Sweden), Rafael Nadal (Tennis, Spain) and Stephen Curry (Basketball, USA). While Messi and Mbappe will be favourites to win the award, legendary Netherlands midfielder and Laureus Sport for Good ambassador Ruud Gullit, believes Curry equally deserves the accolade for winning his fourth NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors.

Gullit, who alongside 70 other Laureus members, will get to decide who wins the awards in the eight categories.

Meanwhile, the 60-year-old hailed Morocco for their Breakthrough of the Year nomination following their

World Cup heroics in Qatar. The Atlas Lions, who were knocked out of the tournament by France, became the first African nation to play in a World Cup semi-final. The Sportswomen of the Year award will be hotly contested between nominees Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica, who recorded a fifth 100m World Championship title, and American 400m hurdler world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.