The fans in red and blue will be singing “Mes Que Un Club” all over Rome tonight. And they’ll be right. This season, Barcelona has certainly been more than a club — they’ve been the best club in the world. Barca’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United, the only other team with a legitimate claim to that distinction, simply hammered home the point and earned them the Champions League trophy for the second time in four years.
United never looked themselves against the Catalan club, lacking the physicality and creativity that had brought them this far and won them the Premier League title just 10 days ago. All the flair belonged to Barcelona, its deadly striker Samuel Eto’o, and its magnificent playmaker Lionel Messi.
Eto’o scored the first after a breakdown in the United defense 11 minutes into the game. Messi — who else? — added the second decisive blow with a header in the 70th minute.
Now the discussions can begin. Will this mark the bitter end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in Manchester? Real Madrid have not been subtle about wanting to see him in white next season. Did Alex Ferguson mismanage the game against Barca’s makeshift back four? The British press thinks so. And, most importantly, did this provide an answer to the question, who is the greatest player in the world: Ronaldo or Messi?
After today, Messi’s case is definitely the stronger of the two.
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