Lionel Messi has received the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, widely regarded as the country’s most prestigious sports honour.
Princess Leonor, heir to the Spanish throne, presented it to him at a ceremony in Oviedo on Friday.
The jury named the 39-year-old Argentina forward as the winner in June, citing his career as the most successful footballer in history and his work to improve children’s access to health and education.
Dozens of fans in Argentina shirts chanted his name as he arrived to the sound of bagpipes and drums in the capital of the northern region of Asturias. Messi took his diploma from Leonor, who praised his “unique career.”
She said he “turned the extraordinary into routine” by reading the game and choosing the best option in fractions of a second, always putting the team before ego.
Messi has won eight Ballon d’Or titles, a World Cup and dozens of club trophies. He spent 21 years at Barcelona, where he starred in the dominant sides of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique. After leaving in 2021, he played two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and now plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Argentina’s all-time leader in goals, assists and appearances ended his international career earlier this year, after Spain beat his team in the World Cup final in New Jersey.
On Thursday, Messi spoke to children at an event in Oviedo. He called knowing how to lose and how to win “the most important thing,” and said that attitude is fundamental in football.
Barcelona congratulated him on social media, calling the award richly deserved and describing the bond between player and club as part of its legacy.
The Princess of Asturias Awards began in 1981 and are among the most prestigious in the Spanish-speaking world. They cover the arts, sciences and sports and honour work that improves human coexistence, solidarity and global cooperation. Each prize carries 50,000 euros ($56,000). Previous sports winners include tennis stars Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge and skier Lindsey Vonn.
British author Julian Barnes, US astronaut Christina Koch and punk singer Patti Smith also received awards on Friday.
