Alexia Putellas and Gavi presented with their Golden Ball 2022 trophies!
Turin was the setting for the Tuttosport gala in which Barça players stole the limelight.
It was already known, but there can be no award without a gala. The Golden Ball event took place at OGR in Turin earlier tonight.
Gavi received his Golden Boy 2022 trophy and he celebrated it with those present via a video call from Barcelona. "It is an honour to have this award, even more of an honour because Pedri also won it (last year)," said the Barça midfielder.
It was a great night for the cullers, with Alexia Putellas winning the Golden Player Women, the award for the best European player.
The player from Los Palacios recognises that he still has a long way to go. "Every player always has to improve. And even more so for me, I'm 18 years old and I have a lot more to learn".
An anecdote came from Massimo Franchi, a journalist from Tuttosport, when he asked Gavi if when he was a child he was expelled from class because he "threw chestnuts" at his classmates, to which Gavi said: "No, I don't remember that".
Gavi apologised for "not being able to be there with you. We have an important game against Osasuna, but it's an honour to win this award. Not only for me but also for all the young people who play football".
Alexia Putellas was asked about her lifestyle as a pro footballer. She answered that "on the pitch, you can all see it and off the pitch, I like to be a quiet person, who likes to be with my family and little else".
Her main objective this season is "to play again, to return to the best level I can".
She also referred to the need for women's football to grow further.
"We are at the beginning of all this, it is very important that media like Tuttosport recognize and award women's football and that other bodies hold the responsibility to make equality much greater in the future".
These are the rest of the winners of the different categories of the Golden Boy:
- Golden Girl Absolute Best Julie Brand
- Golden Boy Web Nicola Zalewski
- Best Italian Golden Boy Fabio Miretti
- Best Italian Golden Girl Nicole Arcangeli
- Golden Player Man Karim Benzema
- Best European President Florentino Perez
- Best European Player's Agent Rafaela Pimenta
- Best European Manager Paolo Maldini
- Golden Boy Career Award Andriy Shevchenko
- Targa Pozzo Carlo Ancelotti
- Targa Pozzo Josè Mourinho
- Targa Scirea Giorgio Chiellini
