Erling Haaland has been announced as one of six candidates for the World Sports Star of the Year award organized by BBC.
The striker who helped Manchester City win the treble in the 2022-2023 season will compete with female player Aitana Bonmati, who won the Women’s World Cup with the Spanish team and won the Champions League with Barcelona.
In addition, Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen – world champion for three consecutive years and captain of the South African team that won the Rugby World Cup, Siya Kolisi, were also nominated.
Novak Djokovic, the player who won 3 of the 4 tennis Grand Slam tournaments this year, and gymnast Simone Biles, who has 4 gold medals at the World Championships, are the remaining 2 positions on the list Compact.
The winner will be chosen by a public vote on the BBC Sport website. The identity of the winner was announced at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year program on December 19.
If Haaland, recently awarded the Golden Player award by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, wins this individual award, he will be on par with Lionel Messi, who was honored last year after leading Argentina to the World Cup championship. .
There are not many football players who won this election. Previous recipients of the World Sports Star of the Year award (formerly Foreign Sports Personality of the Year) are Eusebio (1966), Pele (1970), Ronaldo (2002) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2014).
And if Haaland, who scored 52 goals in all competitions last season, is declared the winner, he will not be able to attend the awards ceremony in Salford, because Man City is participating in the FIFA Club World Cup at that time. in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the shortlist for the Sports Personality of the Year award has not yet been announced by the BBC.
However, England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps is a player who is highly rated by bookmakers for her ability to win the award like her national team teammate Beth Mead last year.
England Ashes hero – Stuart Broad – is the second best candidate, ahead of heptathlon world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
The Young Sports Personality of the Year award is contested between snowboarder Mia Brookes, archery’s Penny Healey and wheelchair basketballer Charlie McIntyre.