Erling Haaland set to battle Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic for prestigious award in April

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is set to battle it out with Lionel Messi, Novak Djokovic and a host of other sporting icons for the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award this April.

Laureus released the nominees list for the 25th edition of their World Sports Awards on Monday (February 26) following a voting process that involved 1,300 journalists and broadcasters from around the globe.

Interestingly, Erling Haaland found himself among the contenders for the top prize following his sensational outing with Manchester City last season. The striker bagged an impressive 52 goals and nine assists in 53 games across all competitions as he fired the Cityzens to a historic treble.

Erling Haaland will be squaring up against Lionel Messi, who recently claimed both the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or courtesy of his exploits with Argentina, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic, a four-time winner of the accolade, who recently won three Slams and reached a record-equalling 24 majors is on the shortlist, so is Formula One hero Max Verstappen, who dominated last season and completed a hat-trick of world championships. Pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and sprinter Noah Lyles are also among the contenders.

The winners of the 2024 Laureus Awards will be announced in a ceremony in Madrid on April 22.

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland off to a brilliant start this season

Lionel Messi played his first game of the new season as Inter Miami took on Real Salt Lake in their MLS opener on February 22. The Argentine recorded one assist as the Herons ran out with a 2-0 victory at the Chase Stadium (formerly DRV PNK Stadium).

Two days later, Inter Miami found themselves on the brink of their first defeat of the season as they trailed LA Galaxy by a goal heading into injury time. However, Lionel Messi rose to the occasion and bagged a dying-minute equalizer to ensure his team left the game with a point and raised his tally to one goal and one assist in two outings.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland is also enjoying a brilliant campaign with Manchester City. The striker has bagged 22 goals and six assists for the Cityzens in 29 matches across all fronts since the season kicked off.