Barcelona star Alexia Putellas has been nominated for the 2022 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award.
The Spain midfielder’s club side Barcelona have also been nominated for a Laureus Award in the Team of the Year category.
Should Putellas win the award, she would become the first footballer to be named the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year. Wendie Renard, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd have all been nominated in the award’s recent history, but all three missed out on the top prize.
Barcelona are also vying to make Laureus Award history by becoming the first women’s football team to emerge victorious in the Team of the Year category.
Putellas and Barcelona enjoyed a stunning 2020/21 season, blowing away the competition to win the treble and lift the Champions League for their first time in their history. The 27-year-old was the Catalan giants’ star performer, and went on to scoop the Ballon d’Or, Best Fifa Women’s Player Award and Uefa Women’s Player of the Year Award.
Putellas is one of three footballers up for a 2022 Laureus Award, alongside Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski in the World Sportsman of the Year category, and Barcelona youngster Pedri in the Breakthrough of the Year category.
Nominated alongside Putellas for the World Sportswoman of the Year Award are tennis Grand Slam winner Ashleigh Barty, athletics icon Allyson Felix, highly decorated swimmer Katie Ledecky and 100 and 200m Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.
The winner will join an esteemed list of previous winners, including Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Jessica Ennis. Tennis star Naomi Osaka is the reigning champion.
Barcelona are nominated alongside two fellow football teams in the Team of the Year Category; the Italy men’s side and Argentina men’s side. Basketball team the Milwaukee Bucks complete the nominees.
Bayern Munich are the current holders of the Laureus Team of the Year Award. Barcelona’s men’s side were victorious in the category in 2012.
Source: 90min.com
