Carlos Alcaraz meets Lionel Messi, then joins legend in winning Laureus World Sports Award

WATCH ABOVE: Alcaraz repeats as Madrid champ

Talk about a whirlwind 72 hours for Carlos Alcaraz.

On Friday, he celebrated his 20th birthday. On Sunday, the top seed successfully retained the Mutua Madrid Open crown, winning his 21st consecutive match on Spanish clay.

By Monday evening, he found himself mingling alongside the likes of Lionel Messi in Paris.

Alcaraz crossed paths with the football player many consider to be the GOAT of his sport at the Laureus World Sports Awards. While answering questions for a reporter, the world No. 2 looked over his shoulder as Messi and wife Antonela wrapped up their arrival photo op.

Walking in Alcaraz’s direction, Messi smiled as he extended a hand towards the 2022 US Open champion. The two shared a quick—but warm—exchange that spread plenty of joy along the red carpet.

After heading inside, both walked away with more hardware for their growing trophy cabinets.

Alcaraz received the Laureus Breakthrough Athlete of the Year award, the second straight year a tennis player was bestowed with the honor following Emma Raducanu’s win. Elena Rybakina, who triumphed at Wimbledon in 2022 and finished runner-up at this year’s Australian Open, was also nominated in this category, respectively.

Messi was named the Sportsman of the Year, an outcome that hardly surprised anyone tuning in. Alcaraz’s countryman Rafael Nadal, who was among the fellow nominees in the category, had wrote on his social media in February, “An honor to be nominated again to the Laureus Sportsman of the Year… but… this year… Let’s go Leo Messi you deserve it.”

The 35-year-old led his nation to an emotional World Cup title, a result that also saw Argentina named the Laureus Team of the Year.

Iga Swiatek, winner of two majors last year, was shortlisted for Laureus Sportswoman of the Year. Track legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was ultimately selected for the first time on her sixth nomination in the category.

Alcaraz’s next stop? A debut in Rome. In tasting victory at Madrid, he moved within five points of reclaiming the ATP's No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian is the defending champion at the Foro Italico, while Alcaraz has no points to back up after missing last year's event. This season marks the first time Madrid and Rome have each been staged as two-week tournaments,