“First of all, I want to thank the people who voted, who selected me as the winner of this award. I obviously share this with my teammates from the Argentina national team,” Messi said. “We are here representing everything that’s been achieved thanks to them. I believe that this is a gift for the entire group, the entire coaching staff, and for all the people of Argentina.
“I don’t want to forget to mention Erling and Kylian, they had a great year, an incredible year, both individually and collectively. It was spectacular to watch them achieve everything they did, and I have no doubt that in the coming years they are going to win this prize.
“I see a lot of young people here. I have no doubt that I am going to enjoy good football for a long time because of these types of players. I am lucky to have been at this ceremony for many years, and as the players keep changing and evolving, the level never drops, so we are going to continue enjoying it for many years.”
