“I could never even imagine I’d even make it” - Lionel Messi “honored” after receiving record-extending 8th Pichichi trophy
Lionel Messi has been awarded the Pichichi trophy in honor of his incredible goalscoring exploits for Barcelona in La Liga last season. The Argentine outscored everyone in the Spanish top flight, bagging 30 goals and 11 assists in 35 appearances.
The award was presented to Lionel Messi by Spanish outlet Marca in Paris this week, and the attacker has reacted to his triumph. The 34-year-old took to social media to thank the publication as well as everyone who supported him in the race for the accolade.
He wrote in a post on his official Instagram page, alongside a photo of him holding the Pichichi trophy:
"It is an honor to be in the history of La Liga. It seemed crazy to be able to one day get a Pichichi, even more so to be able to surpass Zarra and I could never imagine that I would get to achieve 8..."
"Thanks to all who helped me to achieve them and also to Marca for coming this time to Paris to deliver it to me. Hug!!"
Lionel Messi has enjoyed an incredible level of success in the history of the Pichichi. The Argentine surpassed Telmo Zarra to become the player with the most wins in the award's history when he lifted the accolade in the 2019-20 campaign.
With his latest success, the forward has raised the bar even further, now holding the record for the highest number of Pichichi trophies (8) - two ahead of Zarra.
HERE IS THE WINNER!
SEVEN BALLON D’OR FOR LIONEL MESSI!
#ballondor https://t.co/U2SywJmruC
It is also worth noting that Lionel Messi has won the coveted prize in each of the last five seasons - the longest streak ever recorded in the history of the accolade.
Lionel Messi's incredible achievements this year
It looks like we're in for an accolade-filled season for Lionel Messi. In addition to being presented with his Pichichi trophy this week, the Argentine also came out on top in the race for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award. He became the first footballer to win the accolade on seven occasions, beating competition from the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho.
To top it off, the Barcelona legend also put an end to his misery on the international stage by leading Argentina to Copa America glory over the summer. It certainly won't be far-fetched to say this is one of the best years of Messi's career.