Messi talks about Golden Ball: “Amazing to be here”

O astro argentino Lionel Messi, do Paris Saint-Germain, won its seventh Golden Ball, prestigious award given by France Football magazine to the best player of the year, in a ceremony held this Monday in the French capital.

The Copa América title last July, his first trophy in 16 years wearing the Albiceleste shirt, was decisive for this achievement, in which he surpassed the Polish Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) and the Italian Jorginho (Chelsea), who completed the podium.

“It’s amazing to be here again. Two years ago I said these were my last years and I’m here again,” said the Argentine at the beginning of his acceptance speech.

“They asked me when my retirement would be, but I’m in Paris and I’m very happy, looking forward to continuing to fight for new challenges. I don’t know when the time for farewell will come, because I like football a lot,” he added.

After remembering Barcelona, ​​his former club, and PSG, Messi spoke about the Argentine national team, with which he won the Copa América in July, after years of disappointment with the ‘albiceleste’ shirt.

“This award is for what we did at Copa América and for that I thank my teammates,” concluded Messi, who recalled that in the previous six “he won this trophy, but I had the feeling that there was a thorn in the side; this year I got the dream. I wanted so much after so many years of looking for him”.

Messi, who at the ceremony was accompanied by his wife Antonela Rocuzzo and their three children (who wore the same suit as their father), received the trophy from his great friend and former teammate at Barcelona, ​​Uruguayan Luis Suárez.

“It’s an honor to be my friend who gives me this award”, declared Messi, already with the Golden Ball in his hands.

“I never thought of a sixth, a seventh. I really want to reach new goals with my new club,” he said when asked whether he will fight for an eighth trophy now in the PSG shirt.