FCBARCELONA.CAT

06.02.2010 12:57

Messi offers Golden Ball Trophy to the Museum

Jesús Carrillo

Leo Messi presented the club museum with a replica of his 2009 Golden Ball Trophy won as the European Player of the Year 2009. Messi has already donated the boots and the ball used when he scored the club’s 5,000th league goal last year.

The Museum now has two European Player of the Year Trophy’s on display, with Messi’s accompanying Hristo Stòitxkov’s from1994.

Permission given by “France Football”

Messi presented the replica –created by the same jeweller who made the original – after gaining permission from the France Football magazine who originally made the award to him.

Lucky visitors

The lucky visitors at the Museum this morning saw Messi, dressed in his tracksuit and accompanied by Museum Director Jordi Penas, and took the opportunity to get an autograph and have their photos taken with the Argentinean star.

Goal number 5.000

It’s not the first time the World and European Player of the Year has presented the Museum with display items: last year he gave them his boots and the match ball signed by the whole squad after scoring the club’s 5000th league goal to win away to Racing.

Museum growing

Museum Director Jordi Penas was obviously pleased with the donation and commented: “the Museum continues to grow and irt gives us all great pride to have this piece in our collection. We now want the million and a half visitors we have every year to enjoy this special trophy awarded to our player”.

Penas explained that the piece: “is an identical replica of the trophy Messi received in Paris. We’ve been negotiating for five weeks with the French magazine to get written permission to make the replica. A club employee travelled to Paris last week to bring the piece back and this morning we were able to have this simple presentation with the player, who’s supported us throughout the whole process”.