The Argentina forward received the prize for having
accumulated 34 goals to help Barcelona retain its Spanish league title.
“All awards are special, but it is thanks to the help of my
teammates that I have won,“ Messi said. “I just try to play well and do the
things as best I can for my team and my coach.“ Messi now joins Marco van
Basten, Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have won all three
major individual awards: the Golden Boot, FIFA World Player of the Year and the
Golden Ball, given to the European footballer of the year.
Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and Udinese striker Antonio di
Natale were tied for second place with 29 goals each.
The prize comes after a lackluster Messi had failed to score
a single goal at the World Cup in South Africa. Even so, former Argentina coach
Diego Maradona said Wednesday that Messi deserved the award and hoped he would
“win many more.“ Messi is the second Barcelona player to be honored by European
Sports Magazine. Ronaldo earned the club's first Golden Boot by also scoring 34
goals, in the 1996-97 season.
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol applauded Messi's ability and
character.
“He is the best in the world, but he is humble. He improves
everyday,“ Puyol said before the awards ceremony.
“He is the best player in the world and he demonstrated that
he deserves this award.“ Uruguay striker Luis Suarez scored 35 goals last
season for Ajax in the Netherlands, but failed to win due to the points system
that compensates for the degree of difficulty posed by the major European
leagues (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish).
So far this season, Messi has scored two goals in three
games in the Spanish league.