Following his Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy Award triumphs for 2022, Barcelona midfield sensation Gavi conducted photoshoots with Mundo Deportivo and SPORT with his new trophies and also answered questions from the publications.
Starting off, the 18-year-old commented on how big of an honour it was for him to win both the Kopa Trophy and the Golden Boy Award, succeeding his Barça teammate Pedri and following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, who he thinks is the greatest of all time.
It is a pride to be able to receive these prestigious awards that other great players have won throughout history. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me win it, teammates, coaches, and especially my family,” Gavi said.
“It is a pride to take over from Pedri and receive awards that Messi, who is a great reference and, for me, the best player in history, also won,” he added.
Praising Pedri further, he said: “What can I tell you about Pedri, he is a phenomenon that helps me a lot and I am very grateful to him.”
On the faith shown in him by manager Xavi Hernandez, Gavi added: “Happy with the confidence that Xavi is giving me. The coach was always on top and I can learn a lot from him since he was one of the best midfielders in the world.”
It is a pride to be able to receive these prestigious awards that other great players have won throughout history. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me win it, teammates, coaches, and especially my family,” Gavi said.
“It is a pride to take over from Pedri and receive awards that Messi, who is a great reference and, for me, the best player in history, also won,” he added.
Praising Pedri further, he said: “What can I tell you about Pedri, he is a phenomenon that helps me a lot and I am very grateful to him.”
On the faith shown in him by manager Xavi Hernandez, Gavi added: “Happy with the confidence that Xavi is giving me. The coach was always on top and I can learn a lot from him since he was one of the best midfielders in the world.”
Barcelona go into the World Cup break as leaders in La Liga although they have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. Talking about the exit from Europe’s premier competition, Gavi insisted that the team must continue to look forward.
“We must turn the page and focus on the competitions that we remain in,” Gavi said.
“La Liga is very long and there is a long way to go, but being leaders at the World Cup break gives us peace of mind and motivates us for what will come next.”
Talking about the team’s objectives, Gavi added: “Barça always has to fight to win titles. We are a very young team, but there is quality and players for it.
On his own game, the teenage midfielder said: “I try to be a complete footballer and do what the coach asks me. I always want to win and I try to give everything on the field for the team and for my teammates.”
With the Spain World Cup squad set to be announced later today, Gavi hopes that he will be included on the list by manager Luis Enrique.
“Hopefully I can be on Luis Enrique’s list and play my first World Cup. We have a very good group, with a lot of quality and we trust ourselves a lot.
On his career ambitions, Gavi signed off saying, “I want to win many titles with Barça and the National Team.”