Lionel Messi was elected the best male athlete of 2011 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi on Thursday was elected as 2011 Male Best Athlete in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to Cuban news agency Prensa Latina (PL). A few hours before the close of the poll, the Barcelona star received the votes of the University of Chile Radio, Radio Angulo and Metropolitan, Venezuelan Social Television TVES, the San Pedro News information portal of Argentina and the Cubadebate website. The Barcelona star Messi won with 38 votes, leaving behind Jamaican sprinter Usain Bold who obtained 32 votes and Uruguayan soccer player Luis Suarez, with 29 votes. Cuba led the list of media who participated in the poll with 31 press organizations, followed by Uruguay with 27 and Peru with 15.
