Verstappen narrowly misses out on being elected best sportsman in the world

After securing his first ever Formula 1 world title, Max Verstappen has been showered with awards. The NOC*NSF had already named him Sportsman of the Year, and he came third in the European version of the same award. His worldwide ranking is even better: the Red Bull Racing driver is only surpassed by the Polish Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.

Verstappen elected second best sportsman in the world

In the election, organized by the International Sports Press Association, 529 journalists from 114 countries around the world voted. They agreed that the Polish striker deserved the first place, but he is closely followed by the brand new Formula 1 champion.

This puts Verstappen ahead of a number of high-profile names: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic. Lewis Hamilton did make the top ten, but has to settle for tenth place.