Lionel Messi wins UEFA Forward of the Year at UCL draw

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi added the latest piece of silverware to his leviathan collection by bagging the UEFA Forward of the Year award at the Champions League group stage draw in Monte Carlo on Thursday.

Messi was a losing semi-finalist last year as Liverpool miraculously came back from a 3-0 first leg deficit in Camp Nou to go through to the final and eventually win the tournament. 

Neverthless, Messi ended up Champions League top scorer last term. In a twist, his Champions League tormenter, Liverpool center back Virgil Van Dijk, won the award for the UEFA Defender of the Year.

Barcelona were drawn in perhaps the most difficult group of the draw, Group F will consist the LA Liga champions, who go up against Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague.