Cristiano Ronaldo is among the 22 candidates to win the Best Sportsman of the Year honours at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Ronaldo and Barcelona forward Leo Messi are the only two football players on the list that includes Spanish motorcycle road racer Marc Marquez and basketball player Kevin Durant.
The Real Madrid striker was chosen as the best footballer of 2014 as he claimed his third Ballon d’Or award, obtaining 37% of the votes. The Portuguese has had an amazing year at a personal level and he hopes to seal it becoming the first football player to win such an important award.
A number of self-confessed Madridistas have received this trophy, as the list of previous winners includes Rafael Nadal and Usain Bolt. Last year, Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel won the award.
Real Madrid are also favourites to make it in the shortlist for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after a remarkable year of success in which they picked up the Champions League, Copa del Rey, European Super Cup and Club World Cup. The candidates will be announced on February 11th. Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Spain national team are the only football teams to have ever lifted this trophy.
Both awards will be handed out at a ceremony in Shanghai on April 15th following a voting by 47 world sports legends.
