Lionel Messi has added an honour unlike any of the trophies that defined his football career, receiving Spain’s prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for Sports in Oviedo on Friday. The Argentine was recognised not only for his achievements on the pitch, but also for his charitable work supporting vulnerable children. The award makes Messi the first footballer to receive the distinction individually, following earlier honours for teams and other sporting greats.
Messi receives the honour in Oviedo after returning to Spain
Messi was presented with the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo on Friday, October 23, after arriving in northern Spain the previous day. The 39-year-old attended events with local schoolchildren before joining King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and fellow award recipients for an official dinner.His visit came just weeks after he brought the curtain down on his international career with Argentina, adding a new distinction to a career already marked by record-breaking trophies and individual awards. The Inter Miami forward is expected to return to the United States ahead of his club’s October 24 fixture against the New York Red Bulls.
Argentinian footballer Leo Messi receives a medal from Spain’s Princess Leonor ahead of the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony in Oviedo, Spain, October 23, 2026. The awards are presented annually in the Asturian capital to honour scientific, cultural, and humanitarian achievements worldwide. REUTERS/Vincent West
The Princess of Asturias Awards are presented annually by the Princess of Asturias Foundation across eight categories, recognising achievements in fields including sport, the arts, literature, science and public affairs. First established in 1981 as the Prince of Asturias Awards, the prizes are often described as Spain’s equivalent of the Nobel honours.The sports award is presented each October in Oviedo and includes a Joan Miró sculpture, a diploma, an insignia and €50,000. The ceremony takes place at the Teatro Campoamor, a historic opera house that has become the awards’ home.
Why Messi was selected, beyond his extraordinary trophy collection
The jury announced Messi as the 2026 recipient on June 3, choosing him from 27 candidates representing 12 nationalities. Its decision recognised his exceptional talent and career, while also pointing to his consistency, humility, team-first approach and conduct on the pitch.Messi’s record provides a substantial sporting case. He has won 47 team trophies, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga championships with Barcelona. He also holds the record for Ballon d’Or wins, with eight, and has claimed six European Golden Shoes, while scoring 936 official senior career goals.His career has continued beyond Barcelona, where he spent the bulk of his club years, through two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and his move to Inter Miami after Argentina’s World Cup triumph. The Princess of Asturias Award, however, recognises more than the accumulation of titles and records.
Lionel Messi and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo arrive for the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony in Oviedo, northern Spain. AP/PTI(AP10_23_2026_000234B)
The foundation also highlighted Messi’s charitable work, particularly his support for children facing vulnerable circumstances. He has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2010 and runs the Leo Messi Foundation, which supports initiatives focused on children’s health, education and access to opportunities.After learning he had been selected, Messi acknowledged the importance Spain has held in his life, saying: “This award has a very special value for me.”
A first for an individual footballer, with a strong Spanish connection
Although footballers have received the Princess of Asturias Award before, Messi is the first to win it individually. Spain’s men’s national team received the honour in 2010 after winning the World Cup, while Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernández shared it in 2012.Messi’s connection with Spain runs through much of his personal and professional life. He moved from Argentina at 13 to join Barcelona’s La Masia academy and acquired Spanish citizenship in September 2005. His formative years and the peak of his club career unfolded in the country, even as he remained Argentina’s defining football figure.The award is restricted to Spanish nationals, making Messi’s citizenship relevant to his eligibility. His selection also reflects the scale of his impact in Spain, where Barcelona helped shape the career that would eventually make him one of football’s most celebrated players.
Messi joins a distinguished list of sporting recipients
The Argentine joins a roster of previous sports award winners that includes Serena Williams, honoured in 2025, badminton player Carolina Marín in 2024 and marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge in 2023. Rafael Nadal, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Pau and Marc Gasol, and Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning team have also received the distinction.The award’s emphasis on sporting achievement and social contribution helps explain why Messi’s selection reaches beyond his familiar records. His football career has brought him global recognition, while his foundation and UNICEF work have helped direct some of that influence towards children’s health and education.For Messi, the honour arrives after an international career that ended with Argentina’s greatest prize and while he continues playing for Inter Miami. It recognises the footballer’s achievements, but also the values and charitable work the jury believes have accompanied them.
