Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been presented with the Golden Boot award after finishing as the top goalscorer in Europe last season.
It is the second time Messi has collected the honour and comes after he scored a remarkable 50 goals in La Liga, four more than Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.
“This is a group prize,” Messi told his club’s website. “I always say that when an individual wins something like this. That’s a fact, and this one more than any. It is a prize for scoring goals, but I’d never have done it without my team-mates.”
Messi, who scored his 300th and 301st career goals with in Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, also won the award in 2010 for his 34 goals that helped his club win the league title.
“I am happy to win my second Golden Boot,” he said. “Although individual trophies are not what I compete for, I play to win team trophies.”
The Argentine thanked his Camp Nou employers and revealed he hopes to stay at the club for the whole of his career. He has never played for another club team.
“I’m grateful to Barcelona for what they’ve done for me. My dream is to end my career at the club, before returning to Argentina,” Messi added.
His club coach Tito Vilanova also took the time to comment on his player’s achievement, claiming the forward was a unique phenomenon.
“Messi Golden Boot? I don’t think we’ll ever see another player like Leo. Mainly because of the way he understands the game,” he praised.
