Lionel Messi Memoriam Award

The Lionel Messi Memoriam Award (commonly dubbed "Player of the tournament") is an award that highlights the efforts of a single individual player in the sea of competitors in each cup.
First given to  /s4s/ striker and Gold Medal Patrick Bateman in the 2015 4chan Winter Cup, the award has been a part of each Auties round since.
The most recent Memoriam recipient is  /jp/ forward and Gold Medal Billy Herrington in the 2023 4chan Summer Cup.

Award Recipients
Competition	Player	Pos.	Squad	Run Summary	Stats
	Patrick Bateman	CF		The iconic dubs-checker stormed his way past many a defender to net  /s4s/'s best Elite run at the time in the last cup held on PES 14 before finally being put down by eventual champions  /tg/.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					5	6	0	1
	Doom	AMF		Pure hatred towards RICHAAAAAAARDS turned homewards after The Flash made Doom's seven-game scoring streak ultimately pointless after a botched penalty shootout against  /tv/.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	3	3
	Richard Stallman	GK		Richard Stallman ensured the freedoms of /g/'s defensive software up until his team's final match against  /mlp/, where disaster would finally strike the GNU project head.	Apps	CS	Saves	MotM
					4	0	21	1
	Spurdo Spärde	SS		9.0? Fug :DDDDD.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					8	7	6	3
	Homucifer	CF		Deft runs and an unstoppable efficiency made /u/'s first foray beyond the Elite Quarterfinals a devastating one at the hands of their gun-happy striker, until they were tasked with going AHP and DOWN.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	11	3	5
	Char's Zaku II	CF		The first player to win the Lionel Messi Memoriam that also won their respective tournament, Char's accomplishments also stretch to helming the first team to win two Babby Cups. He came here to laugh at us.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	4	2
	>rape	CF		No records were safe during the fifth-year anniversary of the 4chan Cup.  /mlp/ were the first team to legitimately win two stars, and their menacing front man blasted more balls past keepers than any player prior. At the end of it all, it's safe to say the community was ready to die.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	14	1	3
	Ken Rockwell	CF		Fresh out of the new team oven,  /p/ came to this cup with a brash mindset, "We don't have to defend if we score more than them!". With scorelines like 5-4 and 6-2, still-green cup striker Ken Rockwell made it look so easy to put on a >rape-lite performance in his team's third appearance.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	13	2	3
	Scooby	AMF		Just like there are two parts to any proper-form lift,  /fit/ rode on the broad, shirtless shoulders of the first midfielder to win the Memoriam since Doom near two years prior. As an added caveat, the fitness guru also received new golden workout boots.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	9	0	3
	Alfred Kinsey	CF		/lgbt/'s revival started with a bang in the first ever legitimate win-only run of a 4chan Cup tournament. Alfred Kinsey checked all our scores on his scale on a dominant performance alongside Autogynephilia, nabbing the Golden Ball, being only one goal short of also earning the Golden Boot, and only failing to earn Man of the Match in two of his seven played games. His competitors rightly thrashed, Kinsey was overheard at the post-cup press conference assuring us all, "It's okay to be gay".	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	8	7	5
	Madoka Titus	SS		Madoka and Woody are the eternal dynamic duo of  /toy/, pulling off a shared-Golden Boot situation not once, but twice following the 2017 Summer Cup. The only chick that could stop /lgbt/ from hitting a ludicrous winstreak across two cups, the ball loved her mechs, but the fans loved her song. TYBM.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	7	0	2
	Cowboy Bebop	CF		After a three-count, Spike got the weebs jamming after a seemingly eternal spell of disappointment in the 4chan Cup,  /a/ finally achieved a Top 4 finish after nearly four years since their shattering loss to  /trv/. Bebop's superstar legacy in the cup continued deep into the third place match, forcing a penalty shootout that sadly, wasn't meant to be for the historic team.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	8	3	1
	Bepsi	CF		One of the best blenders to ever grace the competition found his groove in this monumental Elite Cup for  /n/, their first ever legitimate Elite Cup knockout run. Despite the refreshing beverage losing to eventual champions  /u/, no one was a Coke guy this competition.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	6	2	2
	Start With The Greeks	CF		The great philosophers of the Aegean finally got their shit together this tournament, gracing all of us with the earworm goalhorn we love. Despite only finishing in the Quarterfinals, the tremendous scoring power of this player rivaled Atlas himself, scoring in all but one match he was featured in.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					5	11	2	4
	Doomrider	CF		Despite his team did better in the final standings once upon a time, the bicycle-kicking cocaine demon did all he could to dazzle us on the pitch. Four Man of the Match titles, the Golden Ball, and a shared Golden Boot, Doomrider is statistically one of the most-deserving of all players to earn the Memoriam.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	8	6	4
	Fug	CF		A fan-favorite, Fug's presence was always known on the pitch. The Flying-Dragon type lead his team not only to 9-point their group, but also to a lifted Third-Place Trophy. When your whale is fighting your lava golem, you can count on Fug.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	6	6	4
	Kerning	CF		That cheeky fucking cat finally did it. After never missing an elite cup since his team's founding, Kerning the cat finally taught the 4chan Cup what true graphic design was, being instrumental in matches against  /f/ and  /vg/. After witnessing  /ck/'s match against the feline's family, many reported adoring seeing Perfect Coffee crying.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	13	5	3
	/i/rene	CF		/i/ is a slower board of 4chan, but has gone through many a captain. For this Spring Babby, they finally settled on the board-tan, /i/rene. Her chipper attitude towards the team's winless streak finally paid off in a gigantic win against  /m/'s gigantic robots, and continued all the way to the trophy hoist. They may be crudely-drawn, but you best fear the feet of this little girl.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	4	1	1
	Kaworu Nagisa	CF		Left to his own devices and often playing second fiddle to fellow  /cm/ striker Len-kun, Nagisa found his stride late in the tournament, claiming ten of his eventual twelve goals on the final day. To put his performance in perspective; /cm/ scored eleven times that day.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	12	1	4
	Cirno	CF		Often seen as nothing more than the ultimate baka,  /jp/'s strongest fairy proved the doubters wrong, scoring thirteen goals, scooping four MOTM awards, and taking home the Golden Boot by barely edging out her own teammate, Marisa. With three hat-tricks to her name, Cirno rightfully held the Third-Place Trophy aloft and iced the baka critics once and for all (until she was put on the bench for freezing the Hakurei Shrine again, baka baka).	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	13	5	4
	Smokey the Bear	CF		When Smokey smells  /out/ burning, he acts fast. The fire-preventing bear single-handedly extinguished  /k/'s two goal lead in the group stage, dragged his side into the knockouts with a win over  /diy/, and blazed five past  /lit/. Apparently on Cirno's wavelength, Smokey managed the exact same stats as the strongest fairy's Autumn 2019 performance, and even snagged the same trophies as her. The beehive ball was reported stolen by a large bear-like animal, most likely a bear, following the tournament.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	13	5	4
	Ricardo Milos	SS		Whether it was his hypnotic pelvic thrusting, his dashing looks, or the looming threat that he would take you to Brazil,  /wsg/'s darker groove king terrified the /v/irgins, dismantled the /m/echagods, and destroyed their S-deficient da/wg/s on the way to a final that the manager definitely threw. Despite the unfortunate ending, Ricardo's five MOTM awards were enough to take home the award.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	2	5
	Yui	SS		Lead guitar by day, divegass leader by night, Yui was instrumental in  /c/'s rise to stardom. Along the way, Yui become the first SS to terrify  /pol/ and singlehandedly gave the team their first ever knockout win after eight long years. It looked like the Rigdora had finally selected a winner, but Boris's hat wasn't equipped to account for massive yuri plot armor, and Yui could only watch in the 120th minute as the ball deflected off an invisible wall and destroyed /c/'s dreams.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	9	2	3
	Black Ice Tree	GK		There is nothing that keeps the  /o/ team Fresh™ like their star goalkeeper, the Black Ice Tree. And nowhere was that freshness more notable than his game-saving master class in the final against  /mu/. Absolute nothing could get past the Fresh™ as he pulled off save after save to keep /o/ alive until Merzbow committed career suicide (again) in the final minutes. With twenty-six saves and a well-deserved Golden Glove, everyone had the Fresh™ to thank for it finally being /O/'S YEAR BABY WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO	Apps	CS	Saves	MotM
					7	1	26	0
	Skyking	CF		Richard Russell was just a broken guy. He had some screws loose. He wanted to see the Olympics. And he just wanted to do a barrel roll. But when he nosedived his stolen Dash 8 to certain doom, he came back to life as  /n/'s heroic striker. With new life breathed into his metallic form, the Sky King took /n/ to glory, taking home the Golden Boot with ten goals, and well and truly GAANing every team that got in /n/'s way.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	3	4
	Patrick Bateman	CF		Of course the first player ever to double their tally in winning this award would be  /s4s/'s star striker. Wall Street yuppie by day, axe murderer by night, Bateman reserved his true success for the ultimate tournament, leading his mighty funposters to incredible upset victories over powerhouses  /mlp/,  /sp/, and  /b/ to take out the World Cup.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					8	10	5	3
	#fortune	GK		Your Fortune: Safest Premonitions Despite early hiccups, #fortune pulled through when it truly mattered. The  /s4s/ goalkeeper proved to be virtually impossible to beat on the final day of the tournament, most memorably pulling off an incredible fingertip save in the dying minutes against  /mlp/ to force extra time. His five saves in the final against  /b/ will be fondly remembered for years to come.	Apps	CS	Saves	MotM
					7	0	22	0
	Purest Form of Love	SS		/u/ made the most out of one of their rare sojourns to the Babby Cup level, claiming their record-tying third cup win in the process. The cornerstone of that run was team captain Purest Form of Love, who scored a whopping 13 goals across their 8 games. The powerful and dignified fragrance of these lilies brought tears to the eyes of viewers everywhere, reminding the world that there is no love so pure and beautiful as between two girls, and no team as formidable as  /u/ that tournament.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					8	13	3	3
	SANIC	CF		One of  /v/'s most esteemed and recognizable veterans, SANIC HEGEHOG stepped it up in a big way in the winter of 2022, captaining the vidya squad to a fourth-place finish. Though his goalhorn may have been a bit too quiet at times, his blistering speed was too much for his foes to handle as he netted 12 goals in one of  /v/'s deepest playoff runs to that point. After being awarded his first Golden Boot after so many years of service, SANIC had this to say to his competitors: "yur 2 sloe!"	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	12	3	3
	Doompaul	CF		Ron Paul was finally reinstated to gold status in Spring of 2022 after six long years, and he wasted no time in delivering brutal punishment on a world that had failed to heed his warnings. In the very first game of the cup, Paul scored 5 goals in a 6-2 blitzkrieg of  /lit/, setting the tone for  /pol/'s vicious springtime offensive. Doompaul would go on to tie the all-time record for most goals scored in a single tournament at 14 - though the team came up short at the very end of this campaign, their star forward still wrote history in his own way.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					8	14	1	3
	Skyking	CF		Great competitors are never content to rest on their laurels. Skyking returned to the Summer pitch with a vengeance, seeking to improve even further on his award-studded campaign from Winter of 2021. He was  /n/'s only player to score in the group stage, but with his 8 goals there, no assistance was needed as they won each game. He followed that up with 5 assists in the knockouts, earning a first Golden Ball in addition to yet another Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament award for his trophy case. Despite being unable to prevail in the finals against a juggernaut  /v/ team, Skyking proved that his prior cup success had been no fluke - indeed, it was just a test flight for what was to come.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	12	5	5
	Doomguy	CF		/vr/'s long-tenured star player was instrumental in their 2022 Autumn Babby Cup performance, leading his team to the finals and their best result since 2016. Doomguy's teammates trusted him to blast the competition away, and he proved to be a brilliant setup target, delivering 10 goals with vintage timing. Perhaps his biggest performance was his two late goals against  /ck/ in the round of 16, turning a looming potential loss into a gutsy statement victory and ensuring that his team would live to rip and tear another day.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	1	5
	Never Ever Paying Adobe	CF		/t/ truly broke free in Winter of 2023, and their fresh-faced captain Never Ever Paying Adobe was the foremost gunner for their second-place campaign. The EEEE-ing forward showed blatant disregard for copyright law and opposing defenses alike as he and his crew looted and pillaged their way through their foes in highly entertaining fashion. Though his self-centered playstyle contributed not a single assist to the team, none of his mateys would trade their intrepid captain for all the doubloons in the world.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	11	0	4
	Get out of /jp/	SS		Marisa Kirisame was the heart of a powerhouse  /jp/ team that could have gone all the way had they not suffered from a brutal silver medal suspension in the semifinals. Without a doubt, her signature moment was securing victory against  /tv/ with 5 precious goals in a do-it-all quarterfinals game that ranks among the greatest individual performances in cup history.  /jp/'s wily veteran captain made it abundantly clear to all viewers and opponents that neither she, nor her team, and especially not her board, were to be trifled with.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	5	4
	Billy Herrington	CF		In making history by becoming the first team to win this award in three different cups AND the first to do it back-to-back,  /jp/ was led this time not by a 2hu, but by the Lord of the Locker Room himself. Billy was a seemingly unstoppable force on his squad's scintillating run to second place as he dominated enemy teams with his powerful presence and his memorable header goals. 5 years gone but never forgotten, Aniki blessed us all with another larger-than-life performance.	Apps	Goals	Assists	MotM
					7	10	3	5

Trivia

• The Memoriam has been awarded 35 times as of the completion of the 2023 4chan Summer Cup.
• Only 2 Midfielders have won the Memoriam,  /co/'s Doom and  /fit/'s Scooby.
• Only 3 non-Golds have won the Memoriam:  /g/ goalkeeper Richard Stallman,  /o/ goalkeeper Black Ice Tree and  /s4s/ goalkeeper #fortune.
• Only  /s4s/,  /n/,  /jp/ and  /u/ have won the Memoriam more than once.
• Only  /s4s/ striker Patrick Bateman and  /n/ striker Skyking have won the Memoriam more than once.
• Times the Memoriam recipient was also the Golden Boot: 23
• Times the Memoriam recipient was also the Golden Ball: 4
• Times the Memoriam recipient was also the Golden Glove: 2
• Average number of goals for a recipient: 8.96
• Average number of assists for a recipient: 2.77
• Average Man of the Match awards for a recipient: 2.93