Breathtaking Barcelona

Thursday, 02/06/2011

As a Manchester United fan I spent the last few weeks trying to get a ticket for the Champions League final at Wembley. Thankfully, the Friday before the game, I heard the news that my last chance contacts had come good and I would be going to watch United take on Spanish giants Barcelona.

The excitement and anticipation was huge but there was also a considerable slice of reality clouding my pre-game thinking. It’s not often United go into a game as underdogs, but against this Barcelona team, they were always going to be just that.

I was just hoping we’d give them a game. Sadly, for large periods we didn’t but that wasn’t because United failed to turn up as many Reds moaned walking away from the stadium, it was because Barcelona gave a performance that was approaching their breathtaking best.

The atmosphere walking to the ground was fantastic, with Barcelona fans shouting their full repertoire of songs on the tube, slamming the roof of the carriages with the palms of their hands. Some songs were full of passion and one, about Ryan Giggs, was filled with cheek.

Our seats were fantastic. Near to the half-way line with Barca’s fans on our right and United’s on our left. Once the Champions League anthem struck into its first few bars, the atmosphere was bubbling over nicely.

As for the game, the first half was similar to the 2009 final in Rome when United started the stronger but failed to fashion a clear-cut chance, before Barca picked up the baton and began to conduct proceedings with their unique style. Beauty mixed with pragmatism, but mostly dominated by football bordering on the exquisite.

Lionel Messi was magical. I’ve now seen Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Wayne Rooney and Messi in live action and the diminutive Argentine, is hands down – apart from when he punches the ball into the net – the best of the lot. In fact, he’s the best I’ve ever seen.

Rooney was by far United’s best player, matching workrate with the courage to play his natural attacking game on the biggest stage – probably the first time he’s played without fear in such a big game since those storming performances as a teenager in Euro 2004.

His goal was typical Rooney, as subtlety and power were combined in a way that only he can manufacture. But too many of his team-mates struggled to make an impact. They battled hard, closed down with energy but eventually Barca’s incisive one-touch football was too much.

With Pedro and David Villa stretching play by hugging either touchline it allowed the midfield trio of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta to completely take charge of possession and the tempo of the game. Even the usually negative and niggley Sergio Busquets was in good touch.

Other Reds that deserve a mention are Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand who defended stoutly with some fantastic last-ditch tackles, but their marking would’ve needed to have harder to shift than Sepp Blatter as FIFA President for them to have stopped Barcelona for 90 minutes.

All four goals on the night were well worked and beautifully finished, with Rooney’s equaliser at least giving United fans a few minutes of joy and pride. For the rest of the game the only emotions felt were frustration and spellbinding admiration for the genius of Messi and the brilliance of Barcelona.

Two United legends played their last games for the club and there’s no doubt that Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes will be greatly missed at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson always talks about the next challenge, and continuing his rebuild of the current team by replacing these two giants of their generation to try and create a team capable of giving Barcelona a game when it matters, is arguably his greatest challenge yet.

The Catalans are clearly the best team in the world and could go on to dominate European football for many years to come. But are they the best team ever? I haven’t seen better. 

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