Luis Suarez Receives 'European Golden Boot' Award After Prolific Season with Barcelona (Photos)

Barcelona after being presented with the European Golden Shoe award for the second time in his career.

 

Luis Suárez is golden again. The FC Barcelona striker has collected the Golden Shoe for the 2015/16 season as the leading goalscorer in domestic European football after scoring 40 Liga goals for the Club last year.

 

At a special event held at the old Estrella Damm factory in Barcelona at lunchtime on Thursday, the Uruguayan received the trophy from none other than his own two children, Benjamín and Delfina. Indeed, visibly moved by the moment, Suárez said on receipt that “my family is the most important thing in my life.”

 

Luis Suarez and his family at the event

 

The ceremony included the screening of a commemorative video with messages from several people that have played a role in Suárez’s life, including Uruguay national team manager, Óscar Tabárez, who described the striker as “the representation of our passion for football”.

 

Suárez also said “thank you to FC Barcelona for giving me the chance to live this dream … I never imagined I’d be a top scorer when I came to Barça, all I wanted was to win the Champions League. But I would never have won this award without my team-mates. With their help, everything is so much easier.”

 

He also commented that “if I don’t win the Ballon d’Or next year, then I hope Messi or Neymar Jr do instead.”

 

Suarez celebrating with Barca team-mates

 

While the other two members of the famous trident did score in the 4-0 defeat of Manchester City, Suárez failed to get on the scoresheet – which led to an amusing anecdote involving his son Benjamín when he arrived home late last night.

“He asked me why hadn’t scored any goals” the centre forward explained. “But when I told him that Messi had scored three, it cheered him up because he knows Leo as well!”

 

The Uruguay international striker was a joint winner with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo two years ago, but he claimed the prize outright this time after scoring 40 league goals last season as Barca won La Liga.

 

Since joining from Liverpool in 2014, he has scored 93 goals in 108 appearances for the Blaugrana and has won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, a Champions League, a World Club Cup, a European Super Cup and a Spanish Super Cup.