Five-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner Adrian Mateos Nominated for MARCA Top 100 Sports Awards
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When poker experiences coverage in mainstream news, it's certainly major news. But for poker to feature in MARCA, Spain's most widely read newspaper, is a special occasion. But that's exactly what's happened, after it nominated Winamax Team Pro Adrian Mateos for the "Top 100 Sports 2025" awards.
This milestone marks poker's first-ever nomination for a sports award, with Mateos nominated alongside world sporting stars such as Lamine Yamal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ilia Topuria.
"A True Honor" says Mateos
The Winamax Team Pro is nominated in the "Best Feat of the Year" category after becoming the fifth player in history to win five World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets at just 30 years old in No Limit Hold'em. No other player has ever accomplished this feat at such a young age.
"I'm passionate about sports, and to be included on the same list as great athletes I've long admired is a true honor," said Mateos. "Tennis is my favorite sport: being named alongside Alcaraz is truly something special."
Mateos will face, among others, Spaniard Kilian Jornet, who in 2025 climbed all 72 of the world's 4,200-meter peaks in just 31 days, and Russian Alexander Ovechkin, who holds the NHL scoring record, a record held for decades by Wayne Gretzky. Also competing is Carlos Soria, an 86-year-old mountaineer who has summited 12 of the 14 eight-thousanders and has proven that climbing is still possible well into one's 70s.
"I think this nomination is great for poker"
This recognition is not only down to Mateos' individual feats, but also for the entire game of poker. For the first time, poker is being evaluated, celebrated, and recognized within the framework of other major sports, potentially paving the way for new generations of players and mental athletes.
"I think this nomination is great for poker," continued Mateos. "Newer generations are already seeing it for what it is: a mind sport. Many of the stigmas or negative connotations simply come from a lack of understanding."
Who is Adrian Mateos?
Adrian Mateos is one of the most decorated players of the modern era, with over $54,000,000 won in live tournaments to date, placing him top of Spanish players and among the top 10 highest-earning players in poker history. He has also reached the Global Poker Index number one world ranking three times: in 2018, 2020, and 2024.
At just 19 years old, he won the WSOP Europe Main Event — not a bad event to mark your entrance to the world of professional poker. Two years later, in 2015, he won the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event, becoming the first Spanish champion of the circuit. Two years after that, in 2017, he joined Team Pro Winamax.
At 22, he became the youngest player in history to win three WSOP bracelets, and in June 2025, he won his fifth bracelet in No-Limit Hold'em, a unique achievement at just 30 years old.
Voting is now open on the MARCA website , and every vote counts towards securing this award. The ceremony will take place on December 29th and will be streamed live on MARCA's YouTube channel.
