Messi: “It's incredible”

The Argentinean admits that he’s very happy about winning his third FIFA Ballon d’Or and he highlights his friendship with Xavi. For Rosell, the dedications made by Messi and Guardiola “demonstrate the human quality of the people in Can Barça”

Minutes after the conclusion of the FIFA awards ceremony, Leo Messi reiterated the speech he gave on the podium: “it’s incredible. I want to dedicate this to all of my teammates. Like Guardiola said, if we don’t win anything collectively, we can’t hope to win individual awards.” He once again had words of praise for Xavi: “I knew that if won that I would dedicate it to him. It’s the fourth year that we’re here together. He also deserves it, because he's even better each year and he also wins a lot of titles, like the World Cup last year. We have a friendship that goes beyond any award.”

Rosell, beyond awards

On Messi’s praise of his teammate, FC Barcelona President, Sandro Rosell said: “as a Culé and as president, I’m very proud of all the awards that they’ve given us, but what I liked the most is how Guardiola and Messi shared their awards. These are the qualities that we teach at the Masia.” It’s worth noting that while Messi dedicated his award to Xavi and the rest of his teammates, Guardiola dedicated his award to his assistant coach, Tito Vilanova. For Rosell these things “demonstrate the human quality that we have at Can Barça.”

Xavi: “I’m the happiest man in the world”

Third-place finisher, Xavi Hernández, also talked about Messi’s award dedication: “Messi and I are united by a great friendship. He’s timid and it’s difficult for him to express himself, for him to recognize me is worth more than any award. I’m the happiest man in the world.” The midfielder dedicated his third-place finish to “those that never fail, to Barcelona and its fans and to those that recognize my work. Above all, to my teammates, because we mutually make ourselves better. I want to enjoy this with all of them.”

Andrés Iniesta, who finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or, views Barça’s massive presence in Zurich as a very positive sign: “this means that the team is doing things correctly, and we as individuals are too. Hopefully we can be here in the years to come. I’m very happy for them. They (Messi and Xavi) are people that deserve it.”

Guardiola: “Just to be here is a success”

For Josep Guardiola, the mere fact of having two FC Barcelona players on the FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist is a complete success: “it was a success to have three players last year, and this year we have two more. Leo and Xavi should be happy.” He also issued a reminder that award ceremonies like tonight’s are positive only after success is achieved: “it’s good that we are recognized for our efforts, but the day-to-day work puts you in your place. It’s getting more difficult to win and they know us better.” Furthermore, the Barça boss once again had words for Tito Vilanova: “when he’s not around, I miss him tremendously.”

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