Barcelona striker was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi, the second highest honor of the region
Who thought Lionel Messi would end the 2018/19 season with fewer rewards after eliminating in the Champions League for Liverpool ... well, better think again. The Barcelona star received on Thursday (16) the Creu de Sant Jordi, one of the biggest awards granted by the Government of Catalonia to prominent individuals in his society.
The 31-year-old striker, who has lived in Barcelona since the age of 13 and made his debut for the club in 2004, was honored for leading values such as "humility, honesty, learning, creativity, team spirit and respect". making only the second footballer in history to be among the honorees. Johan Cruyff, a central figure in FC Barcelona's history for decades, was recognized only in 2006 after his passing as coach of the club (1988-96) and even more of his victorious history as a Blaugrana player (73-78).
In social networks, Messi also took the opportunity to celebrate the award: "Thank you very much for granting me the Creu de Sant Jordi. I am very proud to have been recognized with a distinction that I value highly, for its importance in Catalan society."
On the pitch, if the classification for the Champions League final did not happen, the Argentine may come to celebrate even more in the coming months: after the title in La Liga , he will still play in the King's Cup final against Valencia , and should most likely to end up with the Golden Boot award as the top scorer in the European national leagues.