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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017
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BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (C) poses with the rest of award winners after receiving the Alfredo Diestefano award for the 2017 leading goalscorer ‘Pichichi’ of the Spanish league, in Barcelona yesterday. —AFP Messi picks up Pichichi, Stefano trophy
BARCELONA: Barcelona star Lionel Messi has added The Pichichi trophy, named after the Athletic Alfredo Di Stefano award yesterday, which is won by days after helping Barcelona thrash Deportivo 4-0 in even more trophies to his massive collection after Bilbao striker Rafael ‘Pichichi’ Moreno Aranzadi, is the best player in La Liga. La Liga on Sunday at the Nou Camp. receiving two awards from Spanish sports newspaper awarded by Marca to the top goalscorer of each La Messi was also pictured posing with team-mate The victory has ensured Ernesto Valverde’s side sit Marca yesterday. Liga season. Andres Iniesta, who won Spain’s Most Valuable Player six points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid in The Argentine, following the Catalan giants’ 4-0 Messi added to his trophy haul after scoring a award, at the Marca Sports Journal Award ceremony. the Spanish top flight ahead of their highly anticipated victory over Deportivo on Sunday, was pictured cele- remarkable 37 goals in 34 league games last season, The Argentine star and the other award winners clash with arch rivals Real Madrid on Saturday after- brating with the Pichichi award and the Alfredo Di two more than Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez. show off their prizes in Barcelona. The five-time noon. The Catalan giants, having played a game more, Stefano award at a ceremony in Barcelona. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old also picked up the Ballon d’Or winner has enjoyed a successful couple of currently lie 11 points clear of the Bernabeu outfit.
Roger Federer was voted BBC overseas sports per- Farah shock sonality of the year for a record fourth time earlier in the week after an astonishing season during which he winner of picked up two more Grand Slam titles. — AFP BBC award
PARIS: Britain’s four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah was named BBC sports personality of the year for the first time on Sunday, edging out motorcycling champion Jonathan Rea to the award. Farah, 34, suc- cessfully defended his 10,000-metre title at the World Championships in August, although he missed out on another distance double after taking silver in the 5,000m. He retired from the track later that same month to focus on road racing and has said he could run the marathon at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Farah earned BOGOTA: Millonarios players celebrate with the trophy after winning their Colombian Football League final 83,524 votes — 2,957 more than Northern Irishman match against Santa Fe and becoming champions at Nemesio Camacho El Campin stadium in Bogota, Rea, who became the first rider to win three consecu- Colombia. — AFP tive World Superbike titles, while double Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock came third. decisive goal for Millonarios in the 85th minute on Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, the bookies’ Millonarios win 15th Sunday after Santa Fe had gone into a 2-0 lead with favourite to land the prize, finished fourth in a year that two goals from Wilson Morelo before Andres Cadavid saw the 28-year-old defeat Ukraine’s Wladimir Colombian title pulled a goal back. Klitschko in an epic world title fight. “It is pretty amaz- Millonarios, who celebrate their first title since 2012, ing and hard to think about,” Farah, who was not pres- had won the first leg 1-0. The club now qualify for the ent at the awards ceremony in Liverpool, told those in group phase of the 2018 Copa Libertadores, the South attendance via video link. BOGOTA: Millonarios have won their 15th Colombian American equivalent of the Champions League. They “I didn’t imagine I was ever going to win this but anything can happen. If you work hard you can achieve league title after a 2-2 draw against their Bogota city are now one title away from equalising the record of 16 Mo Farah rivals Santa Fe in a playoff. Henry Rojas scored the won by Medellin-based Atletico Nacional. — AFP your dreams. “I just cannot believe I have won.”