What do Spain's Adrian Mateos, Japan's Shohei Ohtani, France's Ousmane Dembele, the United States' Scottie Scheffler, and Russia's Alexander Ovechkin have in common?
On the surface, you might think not much aside from the sporting connection. If you dig a little deeper, however, you'll learn that all of these athletes – yes, poker players are athletes too – have been nominated in various categories to the Top 100 Athletes of the Year by MARCA, the largest sports newspaper in Spain.
"It feels amazing because poker never gets nominated in this kind of scenario," Mateos told PokerOrg's Mike Patrick from the floor at the World Series of Poker Paradise. "I'm really happy to represent poker and be nominated with amazing people who are really good at sports."
Mateos currently leads the voting in his category with 2,719 votes – good for 37% of the total.
'I'm really happy to represent poker'
Mateos stands as the first-ever poker player put up for the accolade – with his nomination coming in the Best Sporting Achievement of the Year category.
In 2025, Mateos earned his fifth World Series of Poker bracelet and, in doing so, ascended to the ranks of rare company as one of only five players to have earned five bracelets by the age of 30. It came down to the wire as he secured his fifth bracelet with less than two weeks to spare, officially joining Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Allen Cunningham, and Daniel Alaei in one of poker statisticians' most exclusive groups.
While he's not the only player to achieve this milestone, Mateos has set himself apart by claiming all five of his victories in no-limit hold'em events. It's this feat for which MARCA recognizes Mateos. "Adrian Mateos has become the first player in history to win five World Series of Poker bracelets by the age of 30 in the No-Limit Hold'em format," writes MARCA.
"I think it's the right direction – for poker to be in the same category as other sports. I think poker is a mental sport. Let's see if I can win," Mateos continued. "I think this kind of recognition helps to grow the game."
