20-year-old English and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has been recognized as the 2024 Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year. Since joining the club last summer via a £89m transfer from Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham has become a crucial player for Real Madrid. His performance includes scoring the winning goal against Barcelona in El Clasico, bringing his total La Liga goals to 17 this season.
Novak Djokovic was awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the fifth time, making history as he becomes the first player to win this prestigious award five times. Meanwhile, Aitana Bonmati received the women’s equivalent award for her role in leading Spain to victory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, earning them recognition as team of the year at the ceremony held in Madrid. Bonmati emphasized on how important it is to promote gender equality and representation in sports during her acceptance speech.
Other notable winners at this year’s ceremony include Simone Biles who won Comeback of the Year, Diede de Groot who was named Sportsperson with a disability and Arisa Trew who received Action sportsperson of the Year award. Additionally, Fundación Rafa Nadal was recognized for their contributions to using sports for positive social impact by winning Sport for Good award.
