Barcelona's soccer player Lionel Messi from Argentina poses with the "Golden Boy" trophy, awarded. (Yahoo)

    BEIJING, Dec. 15 -- Following the transfer of Ronaldinho, his teammate on the Barcelona Football Club, Lionel Messi was honored today with the "Golden Boy" prize as the best youthful player in Europe under 21.

    The Champion of the World in his category got more votes than figures like Wayne Rooney, Forward of Manchester United and the German Lukas Podolski, who plays for Cologne. Messi had 225 votes to 127 for the runner-up.

    The prize was granted by the Italian newspaper TuttoSport, equivalent to the Gold Ball prize, which is awarded by the sports magazine France Football.

    Messi has had a brilliant year, after being favored with selection for the "World Championship-Under-20," a competition that came out of Netherlands, giving him more prestige on the First Team of Barcelona, where today he shares equal footing with Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho.

    This was the third awarding of this prize, the previous recipients so honored being Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart (playing for Hamburg, Germany) and Wayne Rooney.

    Messi thinks it's very possible to win "La Liga (Spanish League) and the UEFA Champions League" at the same time.

    Here in South America we think that Barcelona FC, with Argentine Messi in the first line, is the best team in the world at the moment.

    The prize will be given today, Wednesday, Dec. 14, in Turin, Italy.

    (Source: China Daily/Agencies)