Watch the moment Carlos Alcaraz was star-struck seeing Lionel Messi at Laureus Sports Awards

Lionel Messi is one of the most popular sports names in the world, and in football, he's seen as a god. No surprise when rising tennis star Carlos Alcaraz saw him for the first time at the 2023 Laureus Sports Awards, he got star-stuck.

Alcaraz was on the red carpet talking to a journalist when Messi walked in with his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo. 

The journalist immediately said, "It's fun to see Leo". Alcaraz turning back in astonishment replied: "It's crazy, I've never met him before, it's crazy to see him here, like meters from me, it's crazy."

The journalist then said: "You can say that or you can shake hands with him," responding to this Alacaraz, continued "I'll wait to do that." At that moment, Messi walked by, and they both exchanged greetings. 

In a highly contested category that had Nigeria's World Record (WR) holder Tobi Amusan, Wimbledon women's champion Elena Rybakina (Tennis), Morocco's men's football team, Nathan Chen (Figure Skating), and Scottie Scheffler (Golf), Alcaraz won the Breakthrough of the Year Award.

The 20-year-old Spaniard ended the year 2022 as the No. 1 tennis player in the world after winning the US Open title and becoming the youngest ever men's World No. 1 tennis player at 19 years. He is also the first teenager in the Open Era to top the men's rankings.

Alcaraz continued with the same record-breaking form this year, already winning four ATP titles this season - his most recent was successfully defending his Madrid Open title.

The Argentine football legend became the first-ever athlete to take home the Sportsman of the Year and the World Team of the Year Awards in the same year.

This comes after his incredible performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he led Argentina to their first title since 1986.

The PSG star was in inspirational form as Argentina came from losing their first game to Saudi Arabia to defeat defending champions France in a dramatic final.