Suarez thanks Barcelona for European Golden Shoe

Saturday, 22 October 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Barcelona’s striker Luis Suarez, his daughter Delfina and son Benjamin, pose with his 2016 European Golden Shoe soccer trophy, which is awarded to the top goalscorer in Europe’s domestic leagues, during an awards ceremony in Barcelona, Spain October 20, 2016 – Reuters

REUTERS: Luis Suarez has received a second European Golden Shoe of his career after becoming the leading scorer in Europe’s top domestic leagues last season.

The Barcelona forward scored 40 goals in 35 La Liga starts, helping Barca retain the Spanish title. He ended the 2015-16 campaign with 59 goals in 52 appearances for Barca in all competitions.

“I want to thank Barcelona for being here, for allowing me to achieve my dream and my aims,” the 29-year-old Uruguay international said in his acceptance speech on Thursday.

“I have spectacular team mates, who make things easy for me although you have to be there to put the ball in,” Suarez said, acknowledging he had had “difficult times” before joining the club.

Those difficult times included a four month ban from FIFA after Suarez bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. A Liverpool player at the time, Suarez signed for Barcelona after the tournament but missed the start of the season because of the suspension.

He ended up winning the La Liga, King’s Cup and Champions League treble in his first campaign at Barca and last season, Suarez helped the club retain the league title and the King’s Cup.

His other golden shoe award came with Liverpool in the 2013-14 when he scored 31 times to help the Reds finish runners-up in the Premier League. He shared the prize that year with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.