Messi may get his first award in the U.S.: he has not yet played a match for his new club

USA TODAY presented a list of nominees for the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award (ESPY) 2023.

Interestingly, Argentine Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who has yet to make his U.S. debut, is up for the award.

In addition to him, basketball player Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, baseball player Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and American soccer player Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs are fighting for the prize.

Recall that Messi won the world championship last year with the Argentine national team.