Luis Edu
The ESPY Awards are presented by ESPN to the best-performing athletes and teams of the past year.
Throughout history, Latino athletes from different disciplines have managed to win a statuette at the prestigious event that also brings together major entertainment figures in the United States, and in this list we will mention five of them.
Josef Martinez at the ESPY Awards
Josef Martinez received the 2019 MLS Player of the Year ESPY award after a superlative performance that helped Atlanta United win the title.
In the U.S. league, the Venezuelan forward has 89 goals and 10 assists in 108 games. Impressive enough numbers to think that he is a strong candidate for another award in the future.
José Altuve at the ESPY Awards
José Altuve has won the ESPY twice. In the 2018 edition, he won the award in the categories of Best MLB Player and Best Male Athlete.
The stellar Venezuelan ballplayer has established as one of the faces of Major League Baseball, despite being pointed out as one of the main players involved in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017, the year they won the World Series.
Lionel Messi at the ESPY Awards
Lionel Messi could not be missing in this list, as we are talking about one of the athletes who have won the most ESPY awards, with a total of 8.
Thanks to his phenomenal performances with FC Barcelona, the Argentine was among the winners of ESPN’s gala in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Despite playing in the same era as Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi had no major problems in acquiring a good amount of accolades, including a whopping seven Ballon d’Or awards.
Miguel Cabrera at the ESPY Awards
Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitters in MLB history, and his offensive numbers made him an ESPY award winner in the 2013 and 2014 editions.
The Venezuelan is in the final stretch of his brilliant career, but he still has the ability to hit a violent home run off against any pitcher. In addition, because of his extroverted personality, he is someone who always attracts attention at major sporting events.
In his MLB lifetime, “Miggy” has 502 home runs and in 2022 he will join the very exclusive 3,000-hit club.
Albert Pujols at the ESPY Awards
Albert Pujols is a living baseball legend and, during his prime time in the Major Leagues playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, was an uninterrupted winner at the ESPYs gala from 2004 through 2010, with the exception of the 2008 edition.
The Dominican remains active at the age of 41, and hopes to add to his legacy in the 2022 MLB season. He currently has 679 home runs and 2,150 RBIs.
Few Latinos have earned the admiration of the sports world as much as Pujols, who has already secured his place in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.
After reviewing the impressive track record of these athletes, it is clear that the ESPYs, despite being an award given by a U.S. media outlet, have always taken into account the performances of Spanish-speaking figures who in recent years have shined in extremely popular sports in North America such as soccer and baseball.
The 2022 ESPY awards ceremony will be held in July at the luxurious Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Although the date could change, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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