Sportsman of the Year Lionel Messi received the award at the Laureus Awards on Monday evening. A prize he was eager to win.
Messi: “I was able to fulfill my dream”
Not surprisingly, Messi took the prestigious title in Paris. He owes this, among other things, to the success in Qatar, where Argentina won its third world title ever. “It’s always nice to be recognized, but football is a team sport and this year I fulfilled my biggest dream: winning the World Cup,” Messi said.
“It cost me a lot, at the very end of my career. I was very lucky with Barcelona and a lot of sadness with the national team, but I encountered many bumps and that allowed me to improve myself. I want to thank my family and loved ones, who respect me, I was able to fulfill my dream. Although it took a while, this is the best thing that has happened to me and our country in a long time.”
Messi now seems to be preparing for a return to Paris Saint-Germain. He was suspended by the club for two weeks because he made an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, but things are now good again between club and player.
Rijkaard praises ‘king of football’ Xavi
We shift our focus to Messi’s former coach and teammate. Frank Rijkaard is over the moon for Xavi because the championship in La Liga is up for grabs. Barcelona only need one more win for the title.
At an event in Amsterdam organized by charity organization Ajax Only Friends, sixty-year-old Rijkaard was asked about the performance of his former pupil at Camp Nou. “I have great memories of Xavi,” Rijkaard tells Barça TV. “Xavi has become a king of football.”
“I am very happy for him, especially because he will become champion with Barcelona,” emphasized Rijkaard, who himself worked as Barcelona coach from 2003 to 2008. “He deserves it and it’s great for the people at the club. They’re on the right track.”
He is also happy for chairman Joan Laporta, with whom Rijkaard also worked in the past. ‘We have worked together and it is great to see that success is being achieved. It is very important to become champion of Spain, so my compliments. I’ve always been very proud, it was an honor to work there,” he concluded.
