Messi signs on

Ouk Sothy and his extended contract

Winning the Championship is a great way to encourage your best players to stay and seek to retain the title, which is what is happening at Phnom Penh Crown with many of the squad pledging themselves to the club for the next year or two. One of those who did that yesterday was Ouk Sothy. Known to all as Messi, he signed a two-year contract extension, that will take the midfielder through to the end of the 2016 season. Currently training with the Cambodia national team squad ahead of the Suzuki Cup involvement, he was a prominent part of our midfield engine-room during our Championship success. Coach Sam Schweingruber commented on Sothy's contract extension: "He has been a key player in this year's success and has shown great progress, and for many games in a row was my personal 'man of the match,' which earned him the title 'most improved player of season 2014'. This has also been noticed by the national team coach and other clubs, who tempted Messi with big offers. I am proud for him to choose what is best for his future, as I hope he will be with us beyond his years as a player and stay involved as a coach and mentor to the next generation. His work ethic, skills and discipline together with improved physical strength and understanding, will make him a key player for the next few years. I hope he will soon start scoring again - something we only see in training and not in the games. I wish him success in the team and continued further improvement." Sothy joined Crown in November 2011 after playing local football with Flying Bikes and as a member of the Cambodia national futsal team.