MADRID, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Football legend Lionel Messi was named the 2026 winner of the prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for Sport on Wednesday.

The honor came just days after Messi was included in the Argentina World Cup squad for what will be the sixth World Cup of his career.

The award recognizes the 38-year-old's "dazzling talent, his exceptional sporting career and his formidable and ongoing charitable work to promote access to education and healthcare for the most disadvantaged children."

Messi follows tennis star Serena Williams as the latest sporting figure to receive the honor, which since its inauguration in 1987 has also gone to Carolina Marin, Sebastian Coe, the New Zealand rugby team and the Spain national football team, among many others.

"He has also earned everyone's respect and admiration for his exemplary behavior on the field and for his perseverance, humility, and commitment to the collective game," the jury said in its citation. ■