Lionel Messi wins UEFA Goal of the Season award
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been awarded UEFA's Goal of the Season award for his free-kick against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League at Camp Nou last season. Messi won the award ahead of Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal's Danilo. This is the third occasion Messi had earned the award, following his success in 2014/2015 and 2015-2016. Here's more.
Mandzukic and Ronaldo won it in the previous two years
Juventus' Mario Mandzukic was honored for his stunning volley in the Champions League final loss to Real Madrid in 2017. Whereas, Ronaldo was victorious in 2018 for the overhead kick he scored against Juventus before moving to Turin.
Criteria for the award and key info
The award sees only goals from UEFA club or international fixtures come into the light. This time it was for the 2018-19 season. A UEFA expert panel selected the shortlist from which the winner was chosen by a public vote. Ronaldo came second for his wonder strike against former club Manchester United. Danilo's goal had come against Serbia in the Euro qualifiers.
Messi adds another feather to his illustrious cap
Messi is one of the GOATs and this is another feather in his illustrious career. The Argentine superstar has won many awards, besides scripting numerous records. He is on the verge of adding more to his tally in the 2019-20 campaign. However, Messi's goal went unrewarded last season. Barcelona were beaten 4-0 at Anfield in the second leg to lose the tie 4-3 (aggregate).
Messi is currently battling an injury ahead of new season
Meanwhile, Messi is currently battling an injury on his right calf that he suffered in training on Monday, August 5. The talisman was ruled out of the team's trip to Florida for a one-off friendly against Napoli that ended 2-1 in Miami The Spanish champions open their La Liga campaign on August 16 against Athletic Bilbao. Currently, he is recovering from the injury.
