Lionel Messi, Barcelona striker, was elected Thursday as the best player in Europe last season's UEFA after winning the final vote the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, and Luis Suarez, his partner in the Catalan side.
It got this award in 2011 and happens in the honors to CristianoSu win this award was announced at the end of the gala draw for the group stage of the Champions League this season at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, where Michel Platini, UEFA President, presented the award to Messi, after the vote live reporters that gave the Argentine star winner.
Messi won it all last year: the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey, which added the European Super Cup this summer. His season, which broke the record of top scorer of the League of Telmo Zarra, who scored 251 goals, was also brilliant in that respect, with 58 goals in official tournaments.
It was also the best scorer in the Champions League with ten goals, tied with teammate Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, with which it shares the status of top scorer in the history of Europe's top tournament, both with 77, and surpassing Thursday for the final vote alongside Luis Suarez, the other finalist.
The 'top ten', outside the podium is completed by the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus); Brazil's Neymar (Barcelona); Belgian Eden Hazard (Chelsea); Italian Andrea Pirlo (Juventus); Chile's Arturo Vidal (Juventus / Bayern now); Carlos Tevez (Juventus); and Frenchman Paul Pogba (Juventus), according to UEFA.
Messi just played better stop Stegen
Barcelona, European champions honored during the draw, captured three individual awards, because Messi also won the award for best goal of last season, with the second goal win over Bayern in the first leg semi-final at the Camp Nou and Marc Andre Ter Stegen the best stop.
The German goalkeeper was the winner of the vote by an intervention in the second leg of the semifinals against the same opponents. Behind the German Manuel Neuer, second, and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, they placed third.
