"An athlete as great as you put that on me leaves me speechless" - Lionel Messi thanks Rafael Nadal for endorsing his name for Laureus Sportsman Award

Rafael Nadal and Lionel Messi are both nominated for the award

Lionel Messi recently thanked his fellow Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award nominee Rafael Nadal for endorsing him as the deserving winner of the honor.

Besides the two all-time greats, French footballer Kylian Mbappe, Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, and American basketball player Stephen Curry have also been nominated for the prestigious award.

A splendid first half of the season, which saw him lift two Grand Slam singles titles, was enough to earn a nomination for the Spanish tennis icon.

After the nominees were announced, Nadal turned to social media to speak about how Messi, who helped Argentina lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, deserves the award more than anyone.

“An honor to be nominated again to the Laureus Sportsman of the Year … but … this year … vamos @leomessi te lo mereces tu [Come on Lionel Messi you deserve it],” Nadal said via social media.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner turned to social media as he addressed the former World No. 1's humble endorsement.

"That an athlete as great as you put that on me leaves me speechless... Thank you very much @RafaelNadal, you also deserve everything for the way you compete every time you go out on the court. You're a winner, we still have a lot of competition there, huh?" Messi wrote.

Rafael Nadal was moved by Lionel Messi finally lifting the World Cup trophy

Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 was perhaps one of the best sporting moments of 2022. A player of such stature finally got his hands on football's most prized possession, the only piece of silverware missing from his glittering cabinet.

Even Rafael Nadal, a lifelong Real Madrid fan, was overjoyed when the former Barcelona star got his hands on the World Cup.

Following the World Cup in Qatar, the Spanish veteran expressed how he felt after watching Messi become a world champion.

"Messi lifting the World Cup made me happy. That someone so great culminates with a title that was missing, of this caliber, with all that it means for Argentina," he said.

"It seemed fair to me, I enjoyed it and I was moved. Without going with Argentina, when Messi scored the third goal, tears came to my eyes because of the emotion of seeing someone so great achieve what was missing and that he had suffered so much to achieve it," he added.

It will be interesting to see which athlete takes home the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award.

What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here