Messi to Serve As UNICEF Global Goodwill AmbassadorUNICEF today appointed Lionel (Leo) Messi, FC Barcelona and Argentina national team soccer star, as a global Goodwill Ambassador. “It is a pleasure to welcome Lionel Messi as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador,” said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director. “He is a football superstar who can help shine a spotlight on the most vulnerable and invisible children.” Messi’s relatively short career has taken him to the summit of world football. He was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009, a year in which he also won the Golden Ball award for the best European footballer of the year. While Messi’s accomplishments as a player are well known, it is his determination to use his fame to help the world´s most vulnerable children that has led to his appointment as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
“Football has given me a lot of joy and opportunities and I feel grateful to UNICEF for this chance to give support to children, ¨ said Messi. ”I hope that in my role as a global Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF I will be able to support children who need our help.” His team, FC Barcelona, last year achieved a historic sweep of the football championships in 2009, winning the UEFA Champion´s League, the FIFA Club World Cup, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. In 2006, FC Barcelona and the FC Barcelona Foundation signed a global agreement with UNICEF. Since then, the club has worn the UNICEF logo on its shirt, broadcasting a message about the rights and needs of children as a symbol of the club’s values and its solidarity with children. For more than half a century, UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors have helped improve the lives of children and women around the world, by creating public awareness of children’s issues and helping to mobilize resources. Attention broadcasters and editors: B-roll of the event and photos will be available at www.thenewsmarket.com/unicef Kate Donovan, UNICEF Media, Tel: 1 917 378 2128 kdonovan@unicef.org
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