Jude Bellingham Joins Novak Djokovic And Aitana Bonmati As The Biggest Winners At The 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards.

Jude Bellingham joined Novak Djokovic and Aitana Bonmati as the big winners at the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards which took place on Monday 22 April, 2024 in Madrid, celebrating the leading names in sport from across the globe.

While the 20-year-old Bellingham was presented with the World Breakthrough of the Year Award, becoming the first football player to win it, Tennis star Novak Djokovic took home the main going of the night.

The Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award went to tennis player Djokovic for a record-equalling fifth time with previous victories in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

NFL great Tom Brady presented tennis world No. 1 Djokovic with the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award in Madrid.

Novak Djokovic won three of the four grand slams last season (Australian Open, French Open and US Open) to lead the way with 24 grand slam men’s singles titles, and only narrowly missing out on the clean sweep after being edged out by Carlos Alcaraz in a classic Wimbledon final.

Following the award, the 24-time grand slam champion said: “I am incredibly honoured to have won my fifth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award.  I think back to 2012, when I won it for the first time as a 24-year-old. I am very proud to be here 12 years later, reflecting on a year that brought me and my fans a lot of excitement and success. 

“It was thrilling to return to Australia last January and win my 10th title. It is a tournament that is so dear to my heart and set me up for an incredible 12 months.  I could not have achieved so much success without an incredible team behind me, and inspirational rivals who have always pushed me to be the best version of myself.

“The Laureus Awards are so special because they represent recognition from the 69 world-class athletes who make up the Laureus World Sports Academy. To earn the votes of my sporting heroes is what makes these Awards so coveted in all of sport.”

Meanwhile, Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women's equivalent.

Bonmati, the current Ballon d'Or holder, helped her club win Liga F, the Spanish Cup and the Women's Champions League in 2022-23.

She was then part of the Spain side which won the 2023 Women's World Cup, where she was named the best player of the tournament, with the team's exploits earning them the team of the year award at the Laureus ceremony in Madrid.

"To be the first footballer to win this [women's] award makes it even more special," said Bonmati.

“As the first women’s team to win the Laureus, we are proud of our status as pioneers and as a group we are as committed to equality and representation as we are to what we do on the football pitch."

Bonmati took to the stage twice to collect two awards – the first footballer to win the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year trophy and also represent the Spain team which won the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“It is humbling to see the list of previous winners of this award... She said.

“From Serena Williams to Simone Biles, Lindsey Vonn, Naomi Osaka and last year’s winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, they are all incredible athletes who have not only excelled in their chosen sports, but been incredible role models for younger generations of young women and girls.

“I am also very happy that my international team-mates have been recognised as the team of the year by the Laureus World Sports Academy,” 

American gymnast Biles, a three-time winner of Sportswoman of the Year, won the World Comeback of the Year Award.

Biles collected four gold medals at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, her first global event since leaving the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health issues and entering a near two-year break from the sport she had dominated.

Other award winners were Rafael Nadal (Sport for Good), Diede de Groot (World Sportsperson of the Year with a disability) and Arisa Trew (World Action Sportsperson of the Year).