CORNERFLICK
Lionel Messi is due in Oviedo on Thursday, 22 October, to collect the 2026 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports. The Inter Miami forward is the first footballer to receive the prize alone in the sports category.
Prize and programme
The Princess of Asturias Foundation announced on 3 June that Messi would take the award, citing both his sporting achievements and his charitable work to improve access to education and healthcare for disadvantaged children. The 39-year-old will meet students, young people and members of the education community at the Palacio de los Deportes in Oviedo at 17:30 UTC on Thursday.
The main ceremony follows on Friday, 23 October, at 17:30 UTC in the historic Campoamor Theatre. Messi will receive a statuette designed by Joan Miró, a diploma, a badge and €50,000.
Football history and Spanish ties
Messi is the first footballer to win the sports award on his own. Xavi Hernández and Iker Casillas shared it in 2012, while Spain’s national team won the same honour after lifting the 2010 World Cup.
The Argentina captain has spent much of his career in Spain with Barcelona, and previously said the country held a major place in his personal and professional life. He has won eight Ballons d’Or and lifted the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, along with club honours with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.