Messi hails Barcelona team-mates after European Golden Shoe triumph

Lionel Messi paid tribute to his Barcelona team-mates after collecting a fourth European Golden Shoe award.

The Argentina star scored 37 LaLiga goals last season to clinch the honour and move level with Cristiano Ronaldo as a four-time winner, having previously topped Europe’s scoring charts in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

But Messi was quick to point out he could not have found the net on such an outstandingly consistent basis without the help of his fellow players at Camp Nou.

“I’ve always said the individual prizes are won by the team,” he said. “If the team is doing well then we have the fortune to be able to pick up these awards.

“It is true that this prize belongs to everybody. Without them I wouldn’t have scored all the goals I did last season. It is for the whole group.”

#Messi accepts #GoldenShoe award! ( @LuisSuarez9 is there too…) pic.twitter.com/WZ0l2mvdRL

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 24, 2017

Scarily for opponents across the continent, Messi feels he is getting better with age as he again leads the way for goals in LaLiga this season, with 12 to his name from as many matches.

“I always said I don’t consider myself a striker,” the 30-year-old said. “I have been lucky to score a lot of goals.

“I think I have grown on and off the field. On it, I have been getting better, adding things to my game and every day I enjoy being a footballer more.”