Luis Suárez receives 2015/16 Golden Shoe Award

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.”

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”.

"My team-mates also played their part by making it all so much easier for me."

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.”

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!”

Suárez was collecting the award for the second time in his career, after also winning it in 2013/14 as a Liverpool player. That season he finished level with Cristiano Ronaldo but this time he was the out and out winner, finishing four goals clear of second-placed Gonzalo Higuaín of Napoli.