On the eve of the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, the children at FĂștbol MĂĄs were joined by a squad of all-time greats for their latest session

Cafu and Figo joined by Olympic champions Missy Franklin and Jessica Ennis-Hill

Rugby greats Sean Fitpatrick and Hugo Porta plus football content creator Jeremy Lynch make it an unforgettable day

FĂștbol MĂĄs is one of six projects nominated for the Laureus Sport for Good Award

Figo: ‘When you put a ball in front of children, that’s how we talk. Football is our language’
Cafu: ‘Sport is the most powerful tool we have to unite the world’

Real Madrid legend Luis Figo and Cafu, Brazil’s former World Cup winning captain led a team of Laureus superstars back in the sporting arena today – joining in with the young people of the FĂștbol MĂĄs project in Madrid – one of six programmes nominated for the Laureus Sport for Good Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Completing the Laureus team of champions were Jessica Ennis-Hill, the Olympic and world heptathlon champion, Missy Franklin, multiple Olympic swimming gold medal winner, Sean Fitzpatrick, former captain of the All Blacks and his fellow legend of rugby, Hugo Porta, a trailblazer with Argentina and later the Minister for Sport in that country. Just as exciting for the kids in Madrid was the presence of Jeremy Lynch, one half of the F2 – a hugely popular football freestyle creator.

The athletes are in Spain’s capital city to attend the Laureus World Sports Awards here tomorrow. Some of the greatest athletes in the world will attend the globally-broadcast event – and the winners will leave with the most sought-after prize in all of sport, The Laureus. 

FĂștbol MĂĄs is one of more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries supported and funded by Laureus Sport for Good, the movement founded with words of Nelson Mandela at the first Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000: “Sport has the power to change the world.”

Young people from FĂștbol MĂĄs centres in Kenya, France, Chile and Spain were in Madrid for this special event. Instead of yellow and red cards, coaches and children at FĂștbol MĂĄs sessions use a ‘green card’ to re-enforce positive behaviour.

Each of the athletes received their own green card, with Jessica Ennis-Hill showing hers to one of the children who had been teaching her some words in Spanish.   

Luis Figo said: “I am so impressed by FĂștbol MĂĄs – it’s a great example of the Laureus mission. These young people came from all over the world to be here today. They don’t all understand each other until you put a ball in front of them. When you do that, that’s how we talk. Football is the language.”

Cafu said: â€œEveryone here is from different countries, different backgrounds, but sport unites us. It is the most powerful tool we have to bring people together. That was the message Nelson Mandela had when he founded Laureus in 2000 and it is the driving force behind programmes like FĂștbol MĂĄs which are changing the world around them.”

Missy Franklin said: “FĂștbol MĂĄs teaches empathy, resilience and teamwork – that’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but when you make it fun, it can happen. And this was fun! It’s easy to see how this programme and others supported by Laureus all over the world can bring real change to the lives of children such as those we were lucky to play with today.”

Joining Nominees and Academy Members at the 27th annual Laureus World Sports Awards will be sports fans from fashion, film and entertainment, plus Laureus Ambassadors. The Awards show is broadcast globally and followed by millions of fans and athletes on social media.

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