Argentine footballer Lionel Messi and British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton shared the award for the best athlete of 2019 according to the Laureus World Sports Academy.
The award ceremony was held on Monday in Berlin.
Messi became the player who was awarded this award. In the 2018-19 season with Barcelona, he won the Spanish League, becoming the top scorer of the tournament (36 goals) and the Champions League (12).
In total, at club level that season, he scored 51 goals, winning the Golden boot. Together with the Argentine national team, the 32-year-old striker finished third in the Copa America, scoring one goal. He won the Golden ball award in 2019.
Hamilton won the Formula 1 world championship last season for the sixth time in his career and the fifth in a row.
American gymnast Simone Biles, who won five gold medals at the World Championships, was named the best athlete of the year.
The Laureus award was established in 1999 by international foundations with the participation of several general partners-well-known companies in the business world.
At the first stage, the sports press selects the candidates, and then a vote is held among the 50 members of the Academy, which are famous athletes in the past.
