Velo scooped the prize after receiving 53 per cent of the public vote.

He was chosen ahead of British wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, second with 29 per cent, and Independent Paralympic Athlete swimmer Mohammad Abas Karimi.

Velo was selected for the monthly prize, sponsored by German insurance company Allianz, after he helped guide Argentina to their first International Blind Sports Association Blind Football American Championships title since 2005.

He scored a crucial goal in the penalty shoot-out in the final against Brazil in the Chilean capital of Santiago.

The result ended Brazil's 57-match winning streak and saw Argentina return to the top of the podium after a 12-year absence.

Velo, nicknamed the "Blind Messi", was part of the Argentina squad which claimed the bronze medal in five-a-side football at the Paralympic Games at Rio 2016. 

The 46-year-old also claimed Paralympic silver medals at Athens 2004 and in Beijing four years' later.

Hewett had also enjoyed a successful end to the year after he beat compatriot and Paralympic champion Gordon Reid to claim the Wheelchair Tennis Masters title.

Karimi was nominated having claimed silver in the men’s 50 metres butterfly S5 at the World Championships in Mexico City.

The Afghan athlete became the first refugee swimmer to win a medal at the flagship event.

The United States’ wheelchair tennis doubles pair of Nick Taylor and David Wagner were named Allianz Athletes of the Month for November.