This Friday, Lionel Messi won the Princess of Asturias 2026 prize in the Sport category. This distinction rewards his exceptional career in football, but also his human influence and his sporting heritage. An emblematic figure of FC Barcelona for years, the Argentinian remains deeply linked to the Catalan club, with which he made history thanks to his numerous titles and his remarkable performances.
FC Barcelona also welcomed this recognition through a message addressed to its former player via Joan Laporta, its president: “Leo, congratulations on receiving the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award in the Sports category, a well-deserved recognition of your footballing and human career. Thanks to your talent, you helped make FC Barcelona, ​​the club of your life, even greater, yesterday, today and forever. Messi and Barça, Barça and Messi: a shared success story of which we, the loyal Barça supporters, are deeply proud and which we hope will be eternal.»
