Total Messi-care

Messi’s sublime show in Champions League final blanks out United.

LONDON:

Barcelona entered the pantheon of European football’s greatest teams following Saturday’s destruction of Manchester United in the final of the Champions League.

The Spanish giants lit up Wembley with a great performance mesmerising United with a bewitching display that left the English champions grasping at shadows enroute to a 3-1 defeat. It was Barcelona’s second Champions League triumph in three years and confirmed the view of many pundits that Pep Guardiola’s men are the greatest club side football has ever seen.

The 40-year-old, however, resisted the invitation to compare his team with legendary sides of the past.

“I didn’t see the Ajax of Cruyff, I didn’t see the Real Madrid of Di Stefano and I didn’t see the Santos of Pele,” said Guardiola. “But if in 10 or 15 years people remember us, that’ll make me very happy.”

The coach had nothing but praise for forward Lionel Messi’s sublime show in the final.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said the manager. “I don’t think we would’ve made the qualitative leap that we did without him. Messi is unique, he’s a one-off.”

Humble Messi

Meanwhile, Messi refused to take credit for Barcelona’s victory even though the Argentine maestro stole the show with an unbelievable display, that saw him equal Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of 12 goals in the Champions League. The 23-year-old cemented his status as the best player of his generation with a fine goal to restore his team’s lead in the second-half and then played a key role in David Villa’s decisive third goal, which earned him the man-of-the-match award. But the humble forward was keen to share the praise with his team-mates.

“To be the man-of-the-match is the least important thing,” he said. “This team is incredible. I think we can’t fully appreciate what we’re achieving. We were superior against them and deserved the win.”

‘Barca the best I’ve faced’

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was at the forefront of the tributes that were being showered on the Spanish giants, hailing Barcelona as the best side he ever faced.

“In my time as a manager I would say this is the best team I’ve faced,” he said. “It’s not easy when you’ve been beaten like that to think in any other way. No one’s given us a hiding like that.”

Electrifying performance

Goals from Pedro, Messi and Villa secured a deserved victory for the Catalan magicians after England international Wayne Rooney had raised United’s hopes with a well-taken first-half equaliser.

The star of the show, Messi, took his tally for the season to an astonishing 56 goals in 62 games for club and country.

United opened with an aggressive 4-4-2 formation, that harried Barcelona relentlessly in the early exchanges. But it was not long before Barcelona found their feet and United were to spend much of the match, firmly on the back foot as Guardiola’s men rounded off a dream season.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2011.