Verstappen (24) is the first Dutch sportsman to win the award, which has existed since 2000 and is known as the ‘Oscar’ of the sports world. He was chosen by the jury – which consists of 71 former top athletes – over tennis player Novak Djokovic, American Football star Tom Brady, football player Robert Lewandowski, swimmer Caeleb Dressel and athlete Eliud Kipchoge.
The Laureus Award for best sportsman was previously won by Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, among others. In 2006 Johan Cruijff received the oeuvre prize, and in 2016 posthumously the so-called Spirit Award† Esther Vergeer was awarded twice among the athletes with a disability.