Messi broke the all time Barcelona goalscoring record, previously held by César Rodríguez, in March when he scored a hat trick against Spanish side Granada, and has now scored 238 goals for the club.

He also broke a Champions League record last month when he scored five times against German team Bayer Leverkusen – the most goals scored in a single game in the competition's history.

Last Tuesday (April 3), the Argentine, a two times World Player of the Year, broke another record when he became the first player to score 14 goals in one Champions League campaign, netting an unbelievable 58th goal of the season in 49 games, and with still over a month to play this season.

Messi will battle for the honour with Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who became the number one in the men's golf rankings after victory at the Honda Classic.

Also in contention is American college basketball star Anthony Davis, who won the Naismith Trophy and Associated Press Player of the Year awards.


Compatriot Ashton Eaton (pictured above), is also nominated after setting a world record in the heptathlon with 6,645 points last month in Istanbul, Turkey, while another American nominee, Bernard Lagat, became the second ever runner ever to win three indoor 3,000 metre titles.

The final nominee in the men's category is golfer Tiger Woods, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament last month.

Russia's Isinbayeva (pictured below) ended a three-year run without a gold medal when she won the pole vault world indoor title for the fourth time in Istanbul last month.

She had also set a world record of 5.01 metres at the event.

The Russian goes up against Nataliya Dobrynska, who set a world record points total in the pentathlon beating Britain's former champion Jessica Ennis and reigning heptathlon world champion Tatyana Chernova in Istanbul.


The United States' Caitlin Leverenz appears on the lists of nominees, after becoming the top female swimmer at the American national championships.

Compatriot Brittney Reese who won the world indoor championship with the longest jump by a woman in 23 years is also nominated.

Also in contention is Yani Tseng of Taiwan, nominated after winning golf's Kia Classic last month, just a week after winning the LPGA Founders Cup.

Completing the women's list is another American, Lindsey Vonn, who dominated the season's Alpine World Cup and took the overall title.

Voting is open until Tuesday (April 10).

The March winners will then compete as candidates for the 2012 Athlete of the Year awards, in conjunction with USA Today and NBC Sports.

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