Leo Messi, awarded with the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2026

BarcelonaLeo Messi has been awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2026. The Argentine footballer, who currently plays for Inter Miami, will collect the award on October 23 at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo. The jury – chaired by swimmer Teresa Perales – has highlighted his "exceptional sporting career" and his solidarity in "promoting access to education and healthcare for the most disadvantaged children". The former Barcelona star has won 47 titles, including four Champions Leagues, ten Spanish leagues, and the World Cup achieved with Argentina in 2022.

Considered one of the best players in the world, the jury has taken into account his "exceptional and consistent sporting impact", which has allowed him to win the Ballon d'Or eight times. Personally, he is also a role model for his "consistency, humility, and commitment to collective play". Furthermore, his solidarity – through the Leo Messi Foundation – has been another reason to award the Argentine footballer ahead of the other 27 candidacies presented. Leo Messi was nominated by David González, president of the Club Vetusta Oviedo University Triathlon.

Other confirmed winners

Together with the Argentine footballer, also to be honored on October 23 are American singer and writer Patti Smith (Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts), Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli (Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities), British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and French biophysicist Pascal Mayer (Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research), the Svalbard seed vault in Norway (Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation) and British historian, journalist and essayist Timothy Garton Ash (Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences). In the coming weeks, the winners of the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature (June 10) and Concord (June 17) will be announced.