In Oviedo, where the Asturian capital gathers each year around the Princess of Asturias Awards, Lionel Messi received the 2026 Sports Award at the Teatro Campoamor. The Argentine’s appearance placed football at the centre of a ceremony that brought together figures from across public and cultural life.
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Messi, Argentina’s captain and World Cup winner in Qatar in 2022, adds the Princess of Asturias Sports Award to a career already defined by major team honours and individual distinctions.
The jury recognised not only his exceptional ability and competitive record, but also his charitable commitment to education and healthcare for children in vulnerable circumstances. The award therefore acknowledged a career extending beyond matchdays and silverware.
Princess Leonor reflected on Messi’s rare capacity to make the remarkable seem familiar. She said few sporting figures could create such a shared feeling around a single moment: the anticipated goal, carrying so much emotion, while retaining the collective spirit above individual ego.
During his time in Oviedo, Messi also met thousands of children and young people through an initiative designed to bring football closer to a new generation through respect and empathy.
The distinction gives Messi one of Spain’s leading sporting and cultural honours, recognising a global football legacy alongside the human dimension of a player whose name has travelled far beyond the stadiums in which his reputation was made.
