Messi thanks Barcelona team-mates

Barcelona: After being honoured as European Club Footballer of the Year and Forward of the Year, Barcelona`s Lionel Messi paid tribute to his team-mates in accepting the award.

"I know this is a team success. I am very happy and I dedicate it to them [Barcelona]. Without my team-mates I am nothing on the field," said Messi. The young Argentine insisted that it is the team that deserves the award for a season in which they were crowned European champions for the third time in their history, as well as capturing the Primera Division and Copa del Rey in Spain. "The entire group deserves recognition for the season we had last year. It`s nice to share this award with my colleagues," he added. Messi beat fellow nominees Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto`o to claim the Footballer of the Year crown but was humble in his acceptance of the award. "I am only concerned about doing my job, to continue to grow as a player and learn new things. I never believe I am the best in the world and my objective will always be to keep working and winning things," he concluded. Goal.com