He Is The First Footballer To Win The Laureus World Sports Award

The Laureus World Sports Awards are an annual awards ceremony that recognizes outstanding sports figures and the year's best sporting accomplishments. The only footballers who have received multiple nominations for the award are Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi was the first footballer to receive the Laureus World Sports Award in 2020 after receiving six nominations for the honor. Lionel Messi was named one of Time magazine's top 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2012. In addition, Forbes listed him as the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2019. Throughout his career, Messi has participated in humanitarian endeavors.

Since 2004, he has, among other things, donated time and money to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Since March 2010, he has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. A number of UNICEF initiatives, such as those on HIV prevention, education, and the social inclusion of children with disabilities, benefited from his contributions. In addition to UNICEF, Messi founded his own humanitarian organization in 2007. The Leo Messi Foundation promotes children's access to sports, education, and health care.