Manu Samoa rugby 7s legend, Mikaele Siliva Pesamino, has been nominated for the World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Decade Award.

But only your vote online can enable him to take that coveted position from a host of rugby legends in the last decade.

Pesamino, 36, in an interview with the Samoa Observer from Auckland, New Zealand said he is ecstatic about his nomination.

But he acknowledges that he can only come out on top if more people went online and voted for him.

“With a humble spirit, I ask our country to please support me with your vote for this award that is recognized across the world,” Pesamino said. 

“Ole talosaga ile atunuu ma le agaga maualalo ia outou lagolago lou nei tagata e ala lea i lau palota aua le sailia o lenei vaega tauoloa a le lalolagi ile taaloga ole lakapi.”

Pesamino – who hails from the villages of Vailele, Magiagi and Leulumoega Tuai – was the World Rugby Player of the Year in 2010.

It was a golden year for Samoan rugby as the Manu Samoa 7s team clinched the IRB World Rugby Sevens Series championship for that year.

Pesamino’s rugby career spanned eight years from 2005 to 2013 and he has played in 35 Sevens Series tournaments, scoring 161 tries and recording 837 points, according to World Rugby figures.

He currently lives in Auckland with his wife Loretta Pupualii and their son and daughter.

Voting for the Men’s Sevens Players of the Decade opened last Thursday 15 October and closes coming Sunday, 25 October.

Nine players, who like Pesamino have all won Player of the Year Awards in the past decade, can qualify for the award.

They include the U.S.A. Eagles’ Perry Baker who won Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018. 

The Boks’ Cecil Afrika (2011), Werner Kok (2015) and Seabelo Senatla (2016) have been nominated for South Africa. And Tomasi Cama (2012) and Tim Mikkelson (2013) have been nominated from the New Zealand All Blacks, while Fiji has two nominations in Samisoni Viriviri (2014) and Here Tuwai (2019).

Voting closes at 5 p.m. United Kingdom Time on Sunday, 25 October. Rugby fans wanting to vote can go to this page: https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/awards/fan-vote